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Wherever  the  doctor  ^oes  in  China,  crowds  press  around  liim 
for  relief,  hrom  the  work  of  medical  missions,  with  their  mani- 
fold hlessiiiKS  of  i)uhlic  health  education  and  movements  for 
sanitation  and  prevention  of  disease,  have  come  many  of  the 
new  life  currents  that  are  changing  the  character  of  China’s 
national  existence. 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS 
IN  CHINA  _ T 

BY  ^ 

MARY  NINDE  GAMEWELL 


NEW  YORK 

Missionary  Education  Movement  of  the 
United  States  and  Canada 


1919 


COPYRIGHT,  IQI9,  BY 

MISSIONARY  EDUCATION  MOVEMENT  OF  THE 
UNITED  STATES  AND  CANADA 


CORRESPONDENCE  CONCERNING 
MISSION  STUDY 

Send  the  proper  one  of  the  following  blanks  to  the  secretary  of 
your  denominational  mission  board  whose  address  is  in  the  ‘‘List  of 
Mission  Boards  and  Correspondents”  at  the  end  of  this  book. 


We  expect  to  form  a mission  study  class,  and  desire  to  have  any 
suggestions  that  you  can  send  that  will  help  in  organizing  and 
conducting  it. 

Name 

Street  and  Number ! 


City  or  Town  State.. 

Denomination Church 


Text-book  to  be  used 


We  have  organized  a mission  study  class  and  secured  our  books. 
Below  is  the  enrolment. 

Name  of  City  or  Town State 


Text-book Underline  auspices  under 

which  class  is  held: 

Denomination Church  Y.  P.  Soc. 

Church Men  Senior 

Women’s  Soc.  Intermediate 

Name  of  Leader Y.  W.  Soc.  Junior 

Sunday  School 


Name  of  Pastor Date  of  starting 

State  whether  Mission  Study  Class,  Frequency  of  Meetings 

Lecture  Course,  Program  Meet- 
ings, or  Reading  Circle Number  of  Members 

Does  Leader  desire  Helps  ? . . . 

Chairman,  Missionary  Committee,  Young  People’s  Society 


Address 

Chairman,  Missionary  Committee,  Sim  day  School 


Address 


IN  LOVING  MEMORY  OF 
MY  FATHER  AND  MOTHER 


CONTENTS 


CHArXEB 

PAGE 

Foreword 

xi 

I 

The  Coming  China 

3 

II 

Triumphs  of  Western  Medical  Science 

29 

III 

Chinese  Leadership  in  Medicine  . 

57 

iV 

Prevention  Better  than  Cure  .... 

83 

V 

Economic  and  Industrial  Changes 

107 

VI 

The  Vitalizing  Power  of  Christian  Educa- 

tion 

133 

VII 

Three  Social  Transformations 

161 

VIII 

The  Conquering  Church  in  China 

191 

APPENDIXES 

A 

Bibliography 

217 

B 

Area  and  Population 

220 

C 

Important  Events  in  Modern  Chinese  His- 

tory 

222 

D 

Educational  Statistics  of  the  Protestant 

Missions 

224 

E 

Medical  Statistics  of  the  Protestant  Missions 

225 

F 

Chinese  Workers  Employed  by  the  Missions 

226 

G 

Relative  Occupation  of  Mission  Fields 

227 

Index 

229 

ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 

The  Missionary  physician Frontispiece 

President  Hsu  Shi  Chang 12 

A Chinese  labor  battalion  ready  to  embark  for  France  . 20 

New  plant  of  the  Peking  Union  Medical  College  . . 36 

Bronze  manikin  used  by  the  Imperial  Surgeons  ...  60 

A clinic  in  a modern  Chinese  hospital 68 

An  exhibit  used  in  the  public  health  campaign  ...  84 

Burning  of  a twelve-million-dollar  opium  stock  in  Shanghai  100 

Stock-judging  at  Canton  Christian  College  . . . . ii6 

The  first  agricultural  demonstration  train 124 

A girls’  Bible  class 148 

Founder’s  Day  procession,  Ginling  College  ....  156 

The  first  graduating  class  from  Ginling  College  . . . 156 

A Boy  Scout  troop  in  Shanghai 164 

Field  day  sports 172 

A Red  Cross  group  in  Shanghai 180 

The  first  Chinese  bishop  of  the  Anglican  Church  . . . 204 

MAPS  AND  CHARTS 

Map  showing  centers  of  work  of  China  Medical  Board  . 45 

Daybreak  in  China 193 

Progress  of  the  Chinese  churches 202 

A pioneer  home  missionary  enterprise 214 

Chinese  workers  employed  by  the  missions  ....  226 

Relative  occupation  of  mission  fields 227 

Map  of  China End 


FOREWORD 


The  present  hour  is  a crucial  one  in  the  history 
of  China.  Never  has  she  faced  such  unparalleled 
opportunities  or  been  confronted  by  graver  perils. 
For  a time  her  very  life  seemed  to  hang  in  the 
balance.  But  we  believe  the  real  crisis  passed  with 
the  sudden  ending  of  the  European  war,  and  that 
the  changes  sure  to  be  brought  about  during  this 
period  of  world  building  will  strengthen  and  make 
permanent  the  country’s  foundations. 

China  is  not  like  ancient  Egypt,  whose  greatness 
has  departed  though  she  still  lives  on.  China  is  a 
vital  force  whose  largest  possibilities  of  develop- 
ment lie  before  and  not  behind  her.  A new,  fresh 
life  is  beginning  to  course  through  the  nation’s 
veins.  How  can  this  new  life  be  fostered  so  there 
will  not  be  the  awful  waste  which  has  weakened 
China  almost  to  the  breaking  point? 

The  conservation  of  the  physical,  mental,  mate- 
rial, and,  above  all,  the  spiritual  life  of  China  and 
the  Chinese  people  at  this  present  time, — what  a 
theme  for  our  consideration ! 

It  will  be  seen  that  I have  said  but  little,  except 
indirectly,  about  the  work  being  done  in  China  by 
more  than  six  thousand  missionaries  representing 
over  one  hundred  mission  boards  of  the  British 
Empire,  the  United  States,  and  Europe. 


FOREWORD 


All  Christian  work  carried  on  to-day  is  the  direct 
result  of  missionary  effort.  But  I have  felt — and 
foreigners  generally  share  my  conviction — that  the 
time  has  come  to  direct  the  attention  of  the  people 
at  home  more  to  the  work  of  the  Chinese  Chris- 
tians. From  the  first,  missionaries  have  recognized 
that  the  final  issue  of  their  task  was  the  develop- 
ment of  a Chinese  church  which  should  assume  the 
burden  of  evangelizing  the  land. 

The  Chinese  Christians,  untrammeled  by  our 
limitations,  and  numbering  thousands  where  we  do 
tens,  will  carry  the  Torch  of  Truth  to  perishing 
millions  that  we  can  never  hope  to  reach.  It  is 
well  for  us  to  know  more  fully  what  manner  of 
Christians  the  Chinese  are,  and  the  kind  and 
amount  of  work  they  are  doing. 

My  subject  is  so  vast  in  its  scope,  that  in  the 
following  chapters  I have  been  able  only  to  touch 
lightly  upon  several  phases  of  it.  But  it  is  my 
earnest  hope  and  prayer  that  something  in  these 
pages  may  awaken  the  readers’  interest  sufficiently 
to  send  them  to  the  mission  reports  of  the  individual 
mission  boards,  and  to  reference  books  for  detailed 
information. 

To  each  and  every  one  in  China  and  America, 
Chinese  and  foreigners,  who  have  so  generously 
helped  me  in  the  preparation  of  this  book,  I wish  to 
express  my  deepest  gratitude. 

Mary  Ninde  Gamewell. 

Shanghai,  China, 

January,  1919. 

XII 


I 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


i 

) 


CHAPTER  I 


THE  COMING  CHINA 

Who  knows  China?  Dr.  Arthur  H.  Smith, 
whose  missionary  experience  extends  over  forty- 
five  years,  once  said  with  dry  humor,  “ I have  met 
only  two  classes  of  people  who  are  able  confidently 
to  assert,  ‘ We  do ! ’ They  are  newspaper  reporters 
and  globe-trotters.  As  for  myself,  I am  contin- 
ually discovering  a continental  area  still  unex- 
plored.” 

Never  has  China  been  more  of  an  enigma  and  an 
uncertainty,  even  to  the  Chinese  themselves,  than 
during  the  years  since  the  birth  of  the  Republic 
in  1911. 

“ You  are  living  under  a Republic  in  China, 
aren’t  you?”  observed  a citizen  of  San  Francisco 
to  a missionary  friend  just  off  the  steamer. 

“ I don’t  know,”  was  the  reply. 

“ You  don’t  know!  Why,  what  do  you  mean?  ” 

“ I mean  that  when  I left  China,  we  had  a Repub- 
lic. What  the  form  of  government  may  be  to-day, 
I can’t  say.” 


3 


4 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


The  Spirit  of  Unrest 

Politically,  we  have  been  standing  on  the  top  of 
a volcano  for  several  years,  fearing  that  at  any 
hour  a new  eruption  might  break  forth.  The  coun- 
try is  still  torn  with  civil  strife.  There  is  one 
government  in  Peking,  which  enjoys  the  prestige 
of  recognition  by  the  Foreign  Powers,  and  another 
in  Canton,  that  claims  it  is  the  only  body  which 
has  a legal  right  to  exist.  The  contention  is  not 
between  the  North  and  South,  but  between  mili- 
tarism and  democracy.  Some  strong  politicians  in 
the  South  have  sided  with  the  Northerners,  while 
the  sympathies  of  many  in  the  North  are  wholly 
with  the  democratic  party  of  the  South.  In  the 
meantime,  unchecked  lawlessness  has  kept  poor 
China  in  a ferment.  The  armies  of  the  contending 
governments  have  carried  on  a destructive  guer- 
rilla warfare.  Bandits  and  lawless  soldiers — the 
terms  are  really  synonymous — have  terrorized  the 
people;  in  places  attacking  whole  villages,  killing 
the  men  and  committing  outrages  on  the  women 
and  children  or  making  them  prisoners;  holding  up 
trains  and  robbing  them  in  true  Wild  West  fash- 
ion, and  firing  at  steamers  on  the  Upper  Yangtsze. 
Many  of  the  gentry,  whenever  they  heard  that 
troops  were  approaching,  sent  their  wives  and 
daughters  to  improvised  refuges  protected  by  the 
Red  Cross  flag,  the  sanctuary  of  the  home  proving 
unavailing. 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


5 


While  a friend  and  I were  journeying  south  from 
Tientsin  at  a time  that  these  conditions  were 
acute,  our  train  came  to  a sudden  halt.  We  heard 
that  there  had  been  fighting  ahead  of  us  on  the  day- 
before;  rails  torn  up;  telegraph  wires  cut,  and  some 
Chinese  killed.  The  train  stopped  all  that  night  and 
till  noon  the  next  day,  waiting  for  orders.  Soldiers 
were  stationed  outside  and  in  the  coaches  as  guards. 
As  it  grew  dark,  we  watched  them  from  the  car 
window  pacing  up  and  down  the  road,  gray-clad 
figures  with  rifles  over  their  shoulders,  and  so  we 
felt  very  safe.  Just  as  we  were  composing  our- 
selves for  a little  sleep,  a train  boy  came  along  and 
locked  the  door  of  our  compartment.  When  we 
objected,  he  explained  that  as  there  were  soldiers 
about  they  might  enter  during  the  night  and  steal 
from  us! 

In  the  South  pirates  have  held  high  revel.  Coal 
in  Canton  was  sold  at  thirty  dollars  a ton,  with 
rich  mines  a few  miles  away,  but  there  was  no  safe 
way  of  transporting  the  coal  even  had  it  been  possi- 
ble to  mine  it.  Amid  the  general  disorder  many 
Chinese  lost  their  lives;  one  or  two  foreigners  were 
killed,  and  others  taken  prisoners  and  held  for 
ransom. 

The  people  are  sighing  for  peace.  The  attitude 
of  the  laboring  classes  is  well  expressed  in  the 
words  of  an  old  farmer. 

“What  about  this  Republic?”  he  inquired  of  a 
group  of  cronies  in  the  tea-house  as  he  sat  puffing 


6 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


away  at  his  water-pipe.  Then  opening  his  mouth 
and  thrusting  in  his  finger,  he  announced  lacon- 
ically, “ This  is  the  Republic  to  me — three  meals  a 
day!” 

Notwithstanding  the  disturbed  state  of  the  coun- 
try trains  have  continued  to  run ; schools  have  been 
kept  open;  new  industries  have  been  started;  mail- 
couriers  at  great  risk  of  life  have  followed  their 
routes  to  the  uttermost  confines  of  the  land,  and 
business,  though  depressed,  has  never  ceased  its 
steady  grind.  All  this  speaks  volumes  for  the  poise 
and  patient  endurance  of  the  Chinese  and  augurs 
well  for  the  future,  when  under  a settled  and 
stable  government  they  have  a chance  to  develop 
normally. 

A Country  with  a Wonderful  Past 

It  will  be  worth  our  while  to  turn  back  a few 
pages  in  China’s  history  to  get  a background  for 
present  conditions.  Picture  China  in  the  good  old 
days,  or  rather,  in  the  sleepy  old  days;  the  China 
whose  beginning  was  in  the  dim,  pre-historic  past, 
able  to  point  to  the  most  ancient  existing  civiliza- 
tion; the  land  where  gunpowder  was  invented  and 
a newspaper  printed  with  movable  type  long  before 
Gutenberg  saw  the  light;  China  that  was  the  home 
of  philosophers,  statesmen,  artists,  and  scholars; 
all  this  when  Europe  and  America  were  nothing 
but  howling  wildernesses,  and  our  ancestors  little 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


7 


better  than  savages.  We  Anglo-Saxons  are  too 
often  prone  to  forget  this. 

If  the  Chinese  are  a proud  race,  they  have  good 
reason  to  be  so,  and  we  of  a later  civilization  can- 
not blame  them.  The  old  map  of  China  represented 
a flat  earth  with  China,  the  “ Middle  Kingdom,” 
filling  the  center,  and  around  on  the  edges  were 
mere  dots  which  stood  for  the  habitations  of  the 
rest  of  mankind,  the  outside  barbarians.  China, 
self-sufficient  and  aloof,  wrapped  the  cloak  of  her 
exclusiveness  about  her  and  for  long  centuries  re- 
garded with  haughty  disdain  the  beings  who  had 
not  the  good  fortune  to  be  born  Chinese. 

But  the  time  came,  when  although  still  a great 
nation,  China  became  a stagnant  one;  she  had 
ceased  to  grow.  A new,  pulsating  life  was  needed 
to  quicken  and  revive  her.  It  is  a law  of  nature 
that  growth  is  usually  accompanied  with  pain,  and 
some  rude  shocks  were  required  to  rouse  China 
from  slumber.  One  came  in  1842,  when  at  the 
close  of  the  Opium  War  she  was  forced  to  open 
five  treaty  ports.  This  brought  a fresh  influx  of 
foreigners — merchants  and  missionaries. 

Thirty  years  later,  in  1872,  an  event  occurred 
which  turned  the  eyes  of  Americans  with  new  inter- 
est toward  China.  Thirty  young  men — the  num- 
ber swelled  later  to  a hundred  and  twenty — were 
sent  by  the  government  in  the  care  of  the  noted 
Dr.  Yung  Wing  to  study  in  America.  The  students 
were  placed  two  and  two  in  carefully  selected  New 


8 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


England  homes,  whose  wholesome  influence  soon 
awoke  in  them  a desire  not  only  to  imbibe  West- 
ern learning  but  to  return  to  China  as  the  saviors 
of  their  country.  An  inkling  of  this  soon  reached 
the  ears  of  the  self-satisfied  conservatives  in  the 
“ Flowery  Kingdom.”  ‘‘  Who  are  these  young  up- 
starts,” they  said  indignantly,  “ that  they  should 
presume  to  be  able  to  teach  us  anything!”  In 
i88i  all  the  students  were  summarily  recalled  and 
properly  humbled. 


New  Influences  at  Work 

China  received  another  startling  jolt  in  1894. 
She  went  to  war  with  Japan  confident  of  easy  vic- 
tory, but  to  her  astonishment  and  chagrin,  Japan 
won  out.  Japan  succeeded  because  she  employed 
modern  military  tactics,  while  China’s  heterogene- 
ous troops,  supposed  to  be  Invincibles,  depended 
on  their  age-old  methods  of  warfare.  Scales  began 
to  fall  from  the  eyes  of  even  the  most  rigid 
conservatives. 

China  at  this  time  had  an  Emperor,  Kwanghsii, 
who  as  a small  lad  had  developed  a keen  fondness  for 
Western  mechanical  toys.  He  was  fascinated  by 
toy  engines,  steamboats,  and  similar  devices.  When 
he  reached  man’s  estate,  in  the  closing  years  of  the 
last  century,  he  read  scientific  books  and  sought 
conversation  with  those  who  could  tell  him  about 
the  modern  things.  Gathering  around  him  a group 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


9 


of  young  progressives  like  himself,  together  they 
mapped  out  reform  after  reform,  which  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye  was  to  call  forth  a modern  and 
rejuvenated  China.  But  with  the  unwisdom  of 
impetuous  youth  he  went  a little  too  fast.  The 
Empress  Dowager  was  mightily  displeased  at  this 
introduction  of  modernism,  and  it  was  no  light 
matter  to  rouse  the  ire  of  the  “ Old  Buddha,”  for 
she  was  the  real  power  behind  the  throne.  Not 
only  that,  but  she  and  her  legion  of  sympathizers 
were  affrighted  over  the  recent  trend  of  events. 
Ancient  China  seemed  to  be  sweeping  along  to 
certain  destruction  and  a frantic  effort  must  be 
made  to  save  her.  “ Away  with  the  Foreign  Devils 
that  have  caused  all  our  trouble!  ” became  the  cry. 
” Away  with  their  innovations ! Away  with  their 
religions ! We  want  none  of  them ! ” 

There  was  reason  for  much  of  this  anti-foreign 
feeling.  That  is  another  thing  we  must  not  forget. 
Certain  of  the  Foreign  Powers  had  for  some  time 
been  engaged  in  a game  of  grabbing,  or  appropriat- 
ing choice  bits  of  territory  on  slight  pretext,  and 
casting  covetous  eyes  on  others. 


Old  China  becomes  New  China 

At  length  the  die  was  cast  resulting  in  the  Boxer 
Rebellion,  which  was  in  full  swing  in  the  month  of 
June,  1900,  through  most  of  the  northern  provinces. 
When  the  Allied  armies  were  nearing  Peking  in 


10 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


August  of  that  memorable  summer,  and  the  terri- 
ble Siege  of  Peking  was  about  to  end,  the  Empress 
Dowager  fled  stealthily  in  the  night,  without  pomp 
or  ceremony,  to  the  interior  city  of  Hsianfu.  Then 
Peking,  the  “ Forbidden  City,”  so  long  a place  of 
mystery,  was  thrown  open  to  the  world,  and  the 
marvelous  Dragon  Throne,  hitherto  sacred  to 
royalty,  was  robbed  of  its  glory  after  the  desecrat- 
ing Occidental  had  sat  upon  it. 

China  was  humbled  in  the  dust.  She  had  staked 
all  and  lost.  But  the  hour  of  her  deepest  humilia- 
tion was  also  the  beginning  of  her  noblest  exalta- 
tion. New  China  was  to  rise  phoenix-like  from  the 
ashes  of  old  China.  Never  again  would  she  be 
“ China,  the  Exclusive.”  The  barriers  to  progress 
were  gone.  “ No  longer  pray  for  open  doors  in 
China,”  exclaimed  an  American  prelate.  “ Her 
/ery  walls  are  down ! ” 

The  Court  returned  to  Peking.  The  people  now 
began  clamoring  for  reforms.  They  asked  for 
representative  provincial  government  and  it  was 
granted;  for  a national  parliament  and  it  was 
promised  in  1917.  The  railroad  between  Tientsin 
and  Peking,  laid  in  1897,  and  which  superstition  had 
decreed  must  stop  seven  miles  south  of  the  capital, 
making  it  necessary  to  go  that  distance  at  first  in 
a cart  or  sedan-chair  and  later  by  trolley,  now 
passed  unrestricted  within  the  city  walls.  A hand- 
some new  railway  station  has  been  built  with  com- 
fortable waiting-rooms  for  both  men  and  women, 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


II 


and  its  modern  equipment  is  significant  of  the  great 
change  that  has  taken  place  in  China. 

In  1908  the  Emperor  and  Empress  Dowager 
died  within  a day  of  each  other.  On  the  following 
day,  a gray  November  morning,  the  gorgeous  cata- 
falque of  the  “ Old  Buddha,”  borne  in  relays  by  a 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  staggering,  perspiring 
coolies,  passed  through  the  East  Gate  of  Peking  on 
its  way  to  the  Imperial  Mausoleum.  Thus  ended 
a long,  and  eventful  chapter  in  the  history  of 
China. 


The  Birth  of  the  Republic 

Scarcely,  it  seemed,  had  the  sound  of  funeral 
music  died  away  when  in  the  autumn  of  1911,  China 
became  the  scene  of  another  cataclysm.  One  day  a 
child  emperor  sat  on  the  throne,  on  the  next,  the 
reign  of  the  alien  Manchus  had  ended,  and  lo,  the 
Republic  of  China  came  into  being!  So  quickly,  so 
unexpectedly  the  change  took  place  that  the  world 
looked  on  in  breathless  amazement.  Then  demurs 
arose.  “China  is  not  ready  for  a republic!”  was 
the  cry.  “ How  much  better  a constitutional  mon- 
archy ! ” 

A republic  in  China  is  not  such  an  anomaly  as 
most  Westerners  suppose.  The  Chinese  from  ear- 
liest times  have  been  among  the  most  democratic 
people  on  earth,  and  while  their  central  authority 
has  been  most  autocratic,  they  have  enjoyed  in 


12 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


large  measure  local  self-government.  They  well 
understood,  too,  how  to  secure  their  rights  if  the 
petty  local  magistrate  failed  to  mete  out  justice. 
Innumerable  cases  are  on  record  where  the  removal 
of  an  objectionable  official  has  been  caused  by  the 
townspeople,  or  even  occasionally  of  their  having 
taken  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and,  perhaps, 
throwing  the  poor  fellow  into  the  river  and  keeping 
him  there  till  he  begged  for  mercy. 

If  before  the  Revolution  events  chased  each 
other,  they  now  fairly  tumbled  over  one  another  in 
their  rapid  movement.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
how  many  projects,  business,  educational,  and 
philanthropic,  date  their  origin  from  1911.  It  was 
a memorable  day  for  China  when  the  grounds  of 
the  Temple  of  Heaven  in  Peking,  formerly  closed 
to  all  but  the  emperor  and  his  suite,  who  went 
once  a year  to  worship  in  the  temple,  were  thrown 
Open  to  the  public.  And  it  was  a still  greater  day 
when,  as  a striking  evidence  of  the  change,  a 
woman — a Chinese  woman — stood  under  the  very 
shadow  of  the  temple  and  gave  an  evangelistic 
address  to  a large  and  attentive  audience! 

No  sooner  was  China  made  a republic  than  the 
queue,  that  Manchu  badge  of  a conquered  people, 
began  to  disappear.  Those  who  did  not  dispose  of 
this  appendage  themselves,  generally  had  it  cut  off 
for  them.  In  many  places  men  with  shears  sat  in 
the  city  gates  and  when  a queue  appeared  on  the 
horizon,  it  and  its  wearer  speedily  parted  company. 


Press  J liusirathig  Seriice. 


Hsu  Shi  Chang  elected  president  of  the  Chinese  Republic, 
September,  1918 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


13 


Sometimes  a family  living  in  the  suburbs  of  a city, 
fearing  a return  of  the  Manchus  to  power  had  one 
male  member  shorn  and  sent  him  daily  into  town 
to  do  the  marketing,  while  the  others  retained  their 
queues  in  case  of  an  emergency.  A few  queues  are 
still  seen,  but  there  is  not  one  in  Canton.  The  Can- 
tonese, it  is  said,  will  not  tolerate  them. 


The  Political  Kaleidoscope 

Since  the  birth  of  the  Republic,  the  Ship  of  State, 
alas,  has  not  moved  along  on  even  keel.  It  has 
encountered  shoals  and  breakers  and  been  buffeted 
by  many  a storm.  From  the  time  that  Sun  Yat- 
sen  handed  over  the  reins  of  government  to  Yuan 
Shih-kai,  four  men  have  occupied  the  presidential 
chair.  As  if  that  were  not  change  enough,  China 
reverted  for  a week  to  an  empire.  In  the  early 
dawn  of  July  i,  1917,  the  frightened  little  ex- 
emperor, Hsun  Tung,  was  hurried  from  bed;  seated 
on  the  tottering  throne  for  six  unhappy  days;  then 
hurried  back  into  private  life. 

China  has  been  drifting  dangerously  near  the 
rocks.  Perhaps  never  before  in  her  history  has  she 
faced  such  grave  perils.  In  the  summer  of  1917, 
resident  foreigners,  and  also  many  Chinese,  enter- 
tained very  gloomy  forebodings ; some  persons  even 
going  so  far  as  to  predict  that  China’s  days  as  an 
independent  nation  were  numbered.  She  was  ex- 
ploited by  a group  of  unscrupulous  politicians  who 


14 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


had  apparently  taken  as  their  slogan,  “ Our  country 
is  going  to  ruin  anyway;  so  let  us  make  all  the 
money  and  gain  all  the  political  preferment  we  can 
before  the  final  catastrophe'”  Hence,  they 
adopted  the  policy  of  selling  China  piecemeal  to 
Japan,  and  of  mortgaging  her  inalienable  rights 
and  possessions.  And  Japan’s  stanchest  defend- 
ers will  hardly  deny  that  she  has  been  keen  to 
take  all  that  she  could  get,  by  fair  means  or  foul. 
It  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  her  tendrils  have 
been  reaching  out  in  all  directions  over  China, 
laying  hold  on  whatever  they  could  appropriate. 

Expressions  of  anxiety  are  heard  everywhere.  In 
one  of  the  mission  schools  some  young  girls  were 
heard  crying  aloud  one  day. 

“ What  is  the  matter?  ” asked  the  teacher. 

“ Our  country  is  sold ! Our  country  is  sold ! ” 
they  wailed. 

“ But  you  cannot  help  your  country  in  this  way,” 
she  urged. 

“ No,”  they  asserted  tearfully,  “ we  cannot  help 
our  country  at  all,  but  we  can  cry.” 

Passive  acceptance  of  conditions  by  no  means 
represents  the  spirit  of  all  Chinese,  but  until  the 
political  parties  unite  and  there  is  a strong  central 
government,  resistance  seems  futile.  Most  Chinese, 
however,  even  in  the  darkest  hours,  have  not 
despaired. 

“ If  there  were  no  men  in  China  with  high  ideals, 
there  would  be  no  trouble.  If  there  were  not  such 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


15 


men,  there  would  be  no  progress.  The  present 
struggle  in  China  means  the  working  out  of  better 
conditions.  It  is  a fight  of  the  new  and  good 
against  the  old  and  bad,  but  in  the  end  the  good 
will  win.”  These  were  the  words  of  a government 
physician,  a Christian  man,  when  discussing  the 
situation  of  affairs. 

Many  feel  that  the  only  way  to  settle  China’s 
difficulties  is  through  international  mediation.  A 
Chinese  official  quaintly  phrased  this  idea  with  the 
words,  “ Only  men  with  blue  eyes  can  curb  corrupt 
officials.”  Another  statement  descriptive  of  the  at- 
titude of  some  of  the  Chinese  in  the  matter  of 
intervention  was  made  by  a well-known  journalist. 
” If  you  have  a dirty,  cluttered  room,  you  may  try 
to  put  it  in  order  yourself,  a slow,  difficult  and, 
perhaps,  impossible  process,  or  you  may  invite  some 
one  to  help  you.  It  remains  for  us  in  China  either 
to  ask  help  or  to  have  it  thrust  upon  us  and  we 
prefer  to  ask  for  it.” 


Japan’s  Failure  as  a Neighbor 

At  the  opening  of  the  war  Japan  had  an  oppor- 
tunity such  as  no  country  ever  had  before  to 
befriend  a sister  nation.  The  Western  Powers, 
absorbed  with  the  world  war,  practically  gave  her 
the  Far  East  to  look  after  and  keep  peaceful,  but 
never  before  has  there  been  such  strife  in  China; 
never  so  much  bloodshed  and  unrest. 


i6  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

Japan  has  not  taken  a large,  noble  view  of  the 
situation.  Instead,  she  has  sought  simply  her  own 
aggrandizement  and  pushed  her  preferential  claims. 
She  has  endeavored  to  gain  a large  measure  of  con- 
trol of  China’s  currency,  iron  mines,  railroads, 
arsenals,  telegraphs,  and  even  as  petty  a matter  as 
the  Peking  telephone  system  which  is  a very  poor 
and  unsatisfactory  outfit. 

The  country  has  been  overrun  with  bandits, 
mostly  ex-soldiers,  who  are  armed  with  modern 
weapons  secured  from  Japan.  Japanese  agents 
have  encouraged  if  they  have  not  actually  stirred 
up  strife.  All  this  Japan  feels  to  be  to  her  interest, 
for  the  worse  that  things  are  in  China,  the  sooner 
Japan  will  be  needed  to  come  over  and  restore 
order.  Evidence  comes  from  many  quarters  that 
she  is  actively  at  work,  both  openly  and  secretly. 
Many  of  the  Chinese  seem  satisfied,  however,  that 
now  the  war  is  over,  Japan  will  not  be  permitted 
to  retain  for  her  exclusive  use  the  advantages  she 
has  gained  by  being  one  of  the  Allies.  They  think 
that  other  nations  will  question  her  claim  to 
paramountcy  in  China.  What  China  needs  is  a 
leader — an  unselfish,  strong,  broad-minded  leader. 
And  he  will  be  found. 

China’s  Part  in  the  War 

The  hour  that  the  joyful  news  was  flashed  over 
the  wires  to  the  Far  East  that  the  armistice  had 
been  signed  in  Europe,  a ray  of  light  shot  across 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


17 


China’s  darkened  sky.  It  was  the  token  of  the 
coming  dawn  of  a new  day  which  would  end  her 
night  of  gloom.  She  soon  bestirred  herself  to  set 
her  house  in  order,  for  the  Foreign  Powers  told 
China  frankly  that  the  safeguarding  of  her  rights 
and  interests  at  the  Peace  Conference  would  de- 
pend very  much  on  whether  she  could  show  a united 
front  at  home. 

China  will  never  have  cause  to  be  sorry  that 
she  had  a part  in  the  European  War.  It  was  in 
August,  1917,  that  she  threw  down  the  gauntlet 
and  cast  in  her  lot  with  the  Allies.  She  sent  no 
troops  to  France,  but  in  America  and  other  foreign 
countries  where  Chinese  were  living,  as  well  as  in 
China  itself,  many  brave  youths  promptly  enlisted, 
or  volunteered  for  religious  work  under  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association.  At  one  mission  col- 
lege m the  interior,  a Service  Flag  having  six 
stars  was  unfurled  at  a public  gathering,  and  the 
parents  of  the  boys,  who  were  in  the  audience, 
were  called  to  the  platform;  their  faces  beamed 
with  pride  because  they  had  sons  at  the  Front. 

China’s  largest  contribution  to  the  Allied  cause 
was  her  175,000  stalwart  laborers,  whose  help  in 
winning  the  war  proved  indispensable.  They 
served  not  only  in  France  but  also  in  Mesopotamia 
and  Africa.  Their  work  was  usually  well  behind  the 
firing-line,  though  they  did  occasionally  get  under 
fire.  And  at  least  once,  in  a crisis,  they  were  called 
on  to  shoulder  arms,  when  they  not  only  fought 


i8 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


valiantly,  but  were  very  loth  afterward  to  lay  down 
their  arms. 


The  Red  Cross  in  China 

For  the  past  two  years  a Red  Cross  Society  in 
Shanghai,  which  is  composed  of  about  forty  Chi- 
nese women,  has  worked  faithfully  for  the  soldiers 
of  the  Allies.  One  woman,  the  mother  of  seven 
children,  as  her  holiday  stint  knit  seventeen  pairs 
of  socks  and  made  six  hundred  bandages. 

How  royally  the  Chinese  contributed  to  the 
American  Red  Cross  Drive  in  China ! They  organ- 
ized committees  to  raise  money  and  worked  like 
Trojans;  thousands  marched  in  the  parades^  while 
hundreds  of  columns  in  the  Chinese  newspapers 
were  devoted  to  advertising  the  “ Drive.”  Not  only 
the  rich  and  well-to-do  gave  of  their  abundance,  but 
many  of  the  very  poor  ricksha  and  wheelbarrow 
men  added  their  mites,  though,  perhaps,  not  one 
of  them  knew  what  it  was  ever  to  have  a satisfying 
meal.  A coolie  in  Ningpo,  earning  less  than  ten 
dollars  a month,  and  on  which  he  had  to  support 
himself  and  family,  sent  to  Shanghai  by  courier  post 
— not  knowing  that  there  was  a modern  postal 
system  between  the  two  cities — a dollar  and  a half, 
paying  fifteen  cents  for  the  money  to  be  delivered, 
and  another  fifteen  for  the  return  of  the  receipt. 

But  generous  as  was  the  spontaneous  response  of 
the  Chinese  to  the  Red  Cross  Drive,  it  was  exceeded 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


19 


by  their  gifts  at  the  time  of  the  United  War  Work 
Campaign.  The  enthusiastic  cooperation  of  the 
Chinese  delighted  and  touched  the  resident  for- 
eigners. From  large  places  and  small,  from  young 
and  old,  from  high  and  low,  the  money  poured  in. 
Bushels  of  coppers,  the  big,  Chinese  coppers,  were 
contributed  by  school  children. 


The  Peace  Celebration 

The  grand  climax  to  the  war  activities  came  in 
the  Victory  celebration.  Not  only  in  the  large 
cities,  but  in  many  of  the  small  ones  where  there 
are  few  foreigners,  flying  banners  and  exploding 
firecrackers  testified  to  the  universal  rejoicing.  The 
Victory  celebration  in  Shanghai  lasted  three  days. 
On  all  the  principal  streets  and  many  of  the  side 
streets,  the  Chinese  republican  flag  floated  proudly 
in  the  breeze.  Multitudes  were  abroad  in  the  day- 
time, but  it  was  at  night,  when  the  Bund,  the  river, 
and  Nanking  Road  were  ablaze  with  electricity, 
that  it  seemed  as  if  all  China  had  turned  out-of- 
doors  and  the  roadways  and  sidewalks  were 
thronged  with  surging  crowds,  good-natured,  won- 
dering, and  jubilant. 

In  the  nightly  processions,  among  the  numerous 
nationalities  of  this  cosmopolitan  city,  the  Chinese 
were  fully  represented.  They  marched  with  the 
others — policemen.  Boy  Scouts,  members  of  guilds, 
prominent  civilians,  and  thousands  of  students, 


20 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


both  men  and  women.  Some  of  the  finest  floats, 
deliciously  characteristic,  were  the  work  of  the 
Chinese.  China  was  an  important  part  of  the  Vic- 
tory celebration  of  the  Allies,  and  so  gay  and  re- 
juvenated, that  she  bore  little  semblance  to  the 
staid,  sleepy  old  China  of  fifty  years  ago. 


What  the  War  Brought  to  China 

With  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  China  has  suffered, 
has  learned,  and  has  been  benefited  by  the  Euro- 
pean War.  She  can  never  be  asked  what  she  was 
before  1914.  Always  democratic  in  heart,  it  is  un- 
believable that  China  hereafter  should  submit  to 
the  autocratic  rule  of  the  militarists.  Their  day  is 
past. 

China’s  share  in  the  war  has  given  her  a new 
sense  of  international  relationships  and  obligations. 
If  a vestige  of  the  old  exclusiveness  remained,  it 
must  have  disappeared  forever.  “ Going  into  the 
war  has  made  China  feel  that  she  is  really  a part 
of  the  world,”  said  a gentleman  from  one  of  the 
highest  official  families  in  the  land,  his  fine  face 
aglow  with  feeling. 

” The  Red  Cross  Drive  and  the  United  War 
Work  Campaign  taught  us  how  to  do  big  things  in 
a big  way,”  declared  another  influential  Chinese. 
” We  saw  the  success  of  organized  effort  in  a great 
cause,  and  with  no  smirch,  no  graft  about  it.” 

China  has  caught  the  spirit  of  true  patriotism 


8 S 

IC  O 


uB 

•£ 
rt  C 
b£  rt 

u 

U 

. 


(C)  Underwood  nnd  Underwood. 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


21 


which  leads  men  to  labor  and  sacrifice,  not  for  an 
individual,  a family  or  a clan  only,  but  for  a nation. 
The  war  has  brought  home  forcibly  to  the  Chinese 
the  necessity  for  increasing  China’s  productiveness, 
and  for  developing  her  vast  resources  that  are  now 
unavailable  either  for  her  own  or  the  world’s  need. 

As  the  labor  battalions  return  from  France,  there 
will  be  additional  industrial  and  social  problems  for 
China  to  solve.  Will  new  industries  be  started  and 
factories  built  to  give  them  employment?  Will 
they  be  satisfied  to  live  as  before  in  mud  houses  on 
poor  and  insufficient  food,  eking  out  a bare  exist- 
ence under  the  hardest  conditions?  And  how  about 
the  families  of  these  coolies,  whose  army  allow- 
ances during  the  fighter’s  absence  had  enabled  them 
to  live  better  than  they  ever  had  before?  Will  they 
readily  and  contentedly  resume  their  former  modes 
of  living?  The  coolies’  sojourn  in  France  not  only 
benefited  them  physically,  but  gave  them  a new 
conception  of  life,  industrially,  politically,  and  mor- 
ally. They  saw  new  machinery  and  learned  some- 
thing about  modern  inventions.  They  found  that 
even  in  war,  governments  could  be  stable  and  con- 
siderate of  the  well-being  of  the  governed. 


What  Chinese  Laborers  Think  of  Our  Civilisation 

What  has  the  experience  of  the  laborers  meant  to 
them  morally  and  spiritually  and  how  will  they 
interpret  the  life  of  the  West  to  their  own  people? 


22 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


Observers  who  have  been  with  them  in  France  note 
the  fact  that  they  have  been  brought  into  contact 
very  often  with  the  most  degrading  influences  in 
western  lands.  The  danger  is  that  they  will  return 
holding  only  contempt  for  Christian  civilization.  A 
Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  secretary 
from  Peking,  who  served  in  the  camps  of  the  labor 
battalions  in  France,  describes  some  of  the  tend- 
encies to  be  found  among  these  men : 

“ A Chinese  told  a Y.M.C.A.  secretary  that  be- 
fore coming  to  France  he  had  heard  that  the  French 
were  civilized  but,  said  he,  ‘ These  people  are  not 
civilized.’  A Chinese  under  the  American  army 
had  been  buncoed  out  of  ten  francs  by  an  Ameri- 
can soldier  and  at  the  trial  of  the  latter  made  a 
plea  for  clemency  on  the  ground  that  the  defendant 
had  no  bringing  up  and  knew  no  better.  Another 
in  the  same  place  was  heard  to  remark,  ‘ Perhaps 
after  all,  Americans  are  not  all  bad.’  Too  often 
these  impressions  are  secured  in  situations  such  as 
I saw  in  a powder  factory  where  a thousand  Chi- 
nese were  used.  In  the  same  compound  with  them 
were  five  hundred  Portguese  laborers  who  were 
illiterate,  dirty,  and  had  drunken  brawls  in  the 
neighboring  wine  shops.  Across  the  street  was 
another  compound  where  were  quartered  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  women  munition  workers  who 
worked  side  by  side  with  the  Chinese  in  the  fac- 
tory. Some  of  these  were  refugees,  but  no  small 
number  were  of  very  low  class.  ...  In  this  place 
there  had  been  misunderstandings  and  mistreat- 
ment by  the  authorities,  resulting  in  a meeting,  with 
loss  of  life,  before  quiet  was  restored.  France  and 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


23 


the  West  have  glorious  sides,  but  of  these  the 
Orientals  were  ignorant,  seeing  only  the  worst  and 
seamiest.  What  will  be  the  effect  if  they  bring 
back  to  China  by  their  actions  and  words  the  only 
side  of  Western  civilization  they  have  seen  and  say 
this  is  the  Christian  West!  ” * 

Many  missionaries  were  withdrawn  from  their 
stations  during  the  war  to  accompany  the  Chinese 
battalions  as  interpreters,  officers,  and  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association  secretaries.  Thus  provision 
was  made  to  bring  the  strangers  into  touch  with 
some  of  the  finer  forces  of  Western  life.  An  espe- 
cially helpful  service  was  rendered  by  Chinese 
Christian  college  students  from  America  who 
worked  among  their  own  countrymen  in  the  labor 
corps  with  peculiar  effectiveness  because  of  their 
ability  to  help  the  European  army  officers  and  the 
Chinese  workmen  understand  each  other.  One  of 
these  men  was  placed  among  a thousand  Chinese  in 
a powder  factory  just  after  the  men  had  been  riot- 
ing. At  once  he  set  about  to  cultivate  the  friend- 
ship of  the  authorities  and  made  a warm  personal 
friend  of  the  commander.  Direct  talks  showed  the 
authorities  a better  way  of  handling  the  men, with  the 
consequence  that  relations  were  more  harmonious. 
To  the  men  he  was  a real  friend.  He  turned  the 
moving  picture  machine  by  the  hour;  he  visited 
them  in  their  barracks  and  hospitals;  he  greeted 

* Dwight  W.  Edwards  in  The  China  Mission  Year  Book,  1918, 
p.  56. 


24 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


every  one  with  a smile  and  a kind  word;  he  admon- 
ished them  regarding  their  moral  dangers,  and  he 
opened  up  before  them  the  fine  side  of  French  life. 
In  short  he  became  the  dominant  factor  in  the  life 
of  these  men  and  was  a great  help  in  the  interpre- 
tation of  authorities  to  men  and  men  to  authorities. 
No  wonder  the  commander  wrote  back  to  him,  ‘ I 
think  much  of  the  kind  things  you  have  done  for 
my  Chinese 

The  return  of  the  laborers  will  raise  questions  of 
profound  importance  among  all  those  who  are  try- 
ing to  help  China  in  her  progress  toward  a settled 
life.  Naturally  the  old-time  associates  of  these 
men  coming  back  from  such  distant  travels  will 
want  to  hear  all  about  the  life  of  the  West.  Thus 
foreign  influences  will  touch  in  a very  direct  way 
hundreds  of  interior  villages,  for  these  men  will 
reach  a very  different  stratum  of  society  from  that 
reached  by  the  returned  students  and  wealthy 
traveling  class. 

When  the  Shantung  laborers  went  to  France  it 
was  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  China  that 
northern  Chinese  in  any  considerable  numbers  had 
gone  abroad,  for  emigration  had  always  been  from 
the  South.  Chinese  have  emigrated  from  southern 
China  in  large  numbers  and  been  eminently  suc- 
cessful in  business  in  their  adopted  countries.  It  is 
said  that  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  business  in  Manila 
is  in  their  hands;  it  is  on  them  that  the  economic 
importance  of  the  east  coasts  of  Sumatra  and  Java 


THE  COMING  CHINA 


25 


depend,  while  many  of  the  richest  plantations  in 
the  Malay  peninsula  are  owned  by  multi-millionaire 
Chinese.  The  progressiveness  of  the  South,  it  is 
claimed,  can  be  in  large  measure  directly  traced  to 
the  influence  of  Chinese  emigrants.  Can  we  not  ex- 
pect that  the  thousands  of  men  who  have  been 
engaged  in  war  service  (now  coming  home)  will  do 
something  similar  for  the  people  of  their  own 
class  in  the  North? 

These  then  are  some  of  the  new  life  currents 
running  through  China  to-day.  These  are  some  of 
the  problems  which  the  coming  China  must  face. 
And  that  many  of  her  people  are  beginning  to  face 
them  earnestly  and  with  determination  there  can 
be  no  doubt.  A spiritual  change  has  come  over  the 
Chinese  of  late,  so  marked,  and  so  clearly  inspired 
of  God,  that  we  are  awed  by  it.  The  people,  Chris- 
tians and  non-Christians  alike,  feel  the  country’s 
need,  in  these  times  of  transition  and  unrest,  of  a 
propelling  force  stronger  and  higher  than  anything 
within  themselves.  “We  have  the  machinery  but 
lack  the  power,”  they  say. 

We  are  to  consider  in  this  book  the  human  re- 
sources of  China  and  those  movements  that  have 
as  their  purpose  the  development  of  the  power 
which  will  make  these  resources  of  the  nation  yield 
rich  gains  for  her  citizens  and  for  the  world’s  good. 

The  relief  of  the  bodily  suffering  of  China’s  vast 
population,  the  measures  that  are  being  taken  to 


26  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

make  physical  life  safer,  may  well  claim  our  atten- 
tion at  the  outset,  for  upon  the  issue  of  this  venture 
depends  necessarily  a truly  successful  outcome  of 
the  larger  effort  to  mediate  the  abundant  life  to 
the  soul  of  a people. 


II 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL 
SCIENCE 


CHAPTER  II 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL 
SCIENCE 

Gray  dawn  was  gradually  chasing  away  the 
shadows  on  a raw  winter  morning  in  the  old  city 
of  Canton.  Before  the  entrance  to  a Chinese  build- 
ing huddled  a group  of  sick  folk,  women  and  chil- 
dren as  well  as  men,  many  from  highly  respectable 
families.  All  night  long  they  had  crouched  there, 
and  now,  worn  and  haggard,  they  waited  impa- 
tiently for  admittance  to  the  mission  hospital.  As 
day  advanced,  the  company  around  the  doorway 
swelled  to  a surging  crowd,  while  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  see  in  either  direction,  the  narrow  street 
was  congested  with  approaching  sedan-chairs,  from 
the  meanest  in  appearance  to  the  handsomely  cur- 
tained turn-out  of  the  high  official  attended  by  his 
body-guard.  Presently  the  welcome  sound  of  slid- 
ing bolts  was  heard  and  the  gates  were  thrown 
open,  but  with  the  sudden  inrush,  the  weaker  ones 
were  in  danger  of  being  trampled  upon  and  killed. 
Hour  after  hour  patients  filed  into  the  doctor’s 
office,  where  the  most  distressing  cases  were 
treated,  while  others  that  could  wait  were  bidden 
to  come  another  time.  As  the  shadows  of  evening 


29 


30  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

fell  and  the  door  was  shut  at  last,  the  young  for- 
eigner, spent  with  fatigue,  heaved  a sigh  of  relief. 

It  was  Peter  Parker,  the  first  missionary  doctor 
to  China.  Sent  out  by  the  American  Board  of  For- 
eign Missions,  he  reached  his  field  of  labor  in  1834, 
the  very  year  Robert  Morrison,  the  first  Protestant 
missionary  to  China,  closed  his  eyes  in  death.  Thus 
it  is  that  “ God  buries  his  workmen  but  carries  on 
his  work.” 


Opening  China  at  the  Point  of  the  Lancet 

Canton  presented  to  Dr.  Parker’s  eyes  no  ani- 
mated river  embankment  swept  by  an  occasional 
automobile;  no  lofty  buildings,  such  as  line  the 
modern  Bund;  no  electric  lights;  but  the  same  type 
of  people  that  we  see  to-day,  raw-boned,  lithe,  and 
nervous.  The  newcomer  was  not  welcomed  with 
outstretched  arms,  but,  instead,  suspicion  and 
aversion  were  written  on  every  face.  It  was  a year 
before  he  could  rent  a house  and  open  his  hospital. 
On  the  first  morning  not  a person  came ; the  second 
day  one  solitary  woman  ventured  in;  the  third 
there  were  half  a dozen  patients,  and  after  that 
it  was  not  a question  of  how  to  get  people  to  the 
hospital  but  how  to  keep  the  pressure  from  becom- 
ing too  great.  Sometimes  as  many  as  a thousand 
sought  admission  on  a single  day. 

At  the  time  there  were,  of  course,  no  anes- 
thetics; chloroform  was  first  used  in  China  in  1848. 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  31 

But  fortitude  under  suffering  is  a national  char- 
acteristic. When  about  to  operate  on  an  old  woman 
for  cataract  on  both  eyes,  Dr.  Parker  asked  her 
if  she  could  stand  pain.  “ If  you  like  you  may 
take  both  eyes  out  and  put  them  in  again,” 
was  her  unhesitating  reply.  A patient  about  to 
undergo  a major  operation,  coolly  remarked  on  the 
first  incision  of  the  knife,  ” It  hurts.  Doctor,”  then 
settled  back  to  endure  the  pain  in  silence. 

The  year  1839  made  memorable  by  the  ar- 
rival in  China  of  the  second  missionary  doctor, 
William  Lockhart,  a representative  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  the  same  society  which  had 
the  honor  of  sending* out  Robert  Morrison.  One 
likes  to  picture  the  meeting  between  the  two  pion- 
eer doctors.  In  these  later  days,  with  350  mission- 
ary doctors  in  China,  if  a new  one  comes  we  are 
glad,  but  unless  he  is  sent  out  for  some  special 
work,  we  are  too  busy  to  take  much  notice.  But 
how  different  with  Parker  and  Lockhart!  What 
a handclasp  there  must  have  been;  what  eager 
questions  and  answers;  what  comfort  and  fellow- 
ship! While  Dr.  Parker  remained  in  the  South, 
Dr.  Lockhart  gradually  moved  northward,  opening 
medical  work  in  Shanghai  and  afterward  in  Peking 
when  in  i860,  that  city  permitted  foreigners  to 
reside  within  its  walls. 

More  than  eighty  years  have  rolled  by  since  the 
advent  of  Western  medicine  ushered  in  a new  day 
for  China’s  suffering  millions.  The  work  has 


32 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


steadily  expanded  till  now  there  are  270  missionary 
men  doctors,  81  women  doctors,  162  missionary 
nurses,  all  women,  and  320  mission  hospitals  scat- 
tered over  China;  not  a province  is  without  their 
beneficent  influence.  Down  in  Canton  the  pioneer 
hospital  is  still  doing  fine  work,  though  not  in  its 
old  location,  for  after  the  original  building  was 
burned  in  1856,  it  reopened  on  a much  more  advan- 
tageous site  close  to  the  river  front.  With  its  300 
beds  for  both  men  and  women,  its  large  clinic,  and 
its  busy  staff  of  foreign  and  Chinese  doctors  and 
nurses,  the  Hospital  of  Universal  Benevolence,  as  it 
is  known  to  the  Chinese,  gives  practical  demonstra- 
tion of  the  motto  which  has  been  its  watchword 
from  the  beginning,  “ Service.”  Like  many  other 
mission  hospitals  at  the  present  time,  this  one  meets 
all  its  running  expenses,  except  the  salaries  of  the 
foreign  doctors,  from  the  hospital  fees  and  the 
generous  gifts  of  wealthy  Chinese. 


Medical  Work  Handicapped  by  Ignorance 

Because  Peter  Parker  quickly  found  favor  in  the 
eyes  of  the  people  and  met  with  almost  phenomenal 
success  as  soon  as  his  hospital  opened,  it  must  not 
be  imagined  that  medical  work  in  China  has  devel- 
oped without  let  or  hindrance.  Missionary  doctors 
have  traveled  over  no  royal,  unobstructed  highway 
to  victory,  but  prejudice,  ignorance,  and  supersti- 
tion have  hedged  them  about  at  almost  every  step. 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  33 


The  old  idea  that  medicine  is  made  from  the  eyes 
and  hearts  of  kidnapped  children  still  obtains  to 
such  an  extent  in  many  places  that  a doctor  in 
Anhwei  tells  me  she  frequently  encourages  a public 
inspection  of  her  jars  and  bottles  that  there  may  be 
no  secret  misgivings  as  to  their  contents.  A doc- 
tor in  Canton  reports  that  after  the  recent  death 
of  a child  patient  she  was  only  able  to  quiet  the 
frantic  parents  by  paying  to  have  the  body  ex- 
humed in  order  to  prove  that  she  had  not  stolen 
the  child’s  eyes. 

Where  the  Chinese  still  entertain  a suspicion  of 
foreign  hospitals  it  is  generally  because  they  have 
never  been  in  one  and  know  nothing  about  them. 
A few  years  ago  a missionary  doctor  in  Foochow 
carried  to  her  hospital  a sick  woman,  who  was 
accompanied  by  her  little  daughter.  Though  the 
family  had  consented  to  the  removal  of  the  woman 
to  the  hospital,  the  neighbors  were  roused  to  such 
a pitch  of  excitement  that  the  doctor  stood  in  some 
danger  of  being  mobbed.  On  the  following  morn- 
ing the  little  girl  slipped  out  and  went  home,  but 
returned  in  the  afternoon  with  a dozen  of  the  lead- 
ing men.  They  were  received  courteously  and 
shown  over  the  hospital,  and  its  work  explained  to 
them.  On  the  next  day  another  group  came  and 
they  too  were  taken  through  the  hospital.  After 
that,  the  doctors  and  hospital  had  no  more  loyal, 
staunch  friends  than  these  very  people  who  had  so 
violently  opposed  them..  Petty  handicaps  have  ever 


34 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


been  the  doctors’  portion  but  are  too  common  to  be 
permitted  to  become  irritating. 

• “Now,  take  one  of  these  powders  every  day. 
Don’t  forget;  just  one  a day  and  when  they  are 
gone  come  back,”  is  frequently  the  injunction. 

On  the  next  day  the  patient  returns  for  more 
medicine.  The  first  is  gone — swallowed  in  one 
dose. 

“ Why  did  you  not  do  as  I told  you?  ” asks  the 
doctor. 

“ Because,  if  a little  medicine  is  good,  is  not 
much  medicine  still  better?  ” 

“ This  man  has  a bottle  of  yellow  medicine.  I 
want  yellow  medicine  too,”  begs  another  patient. 

“ But  you  do  not  need  that  kind.” 

“ That  does  not  matter;  it  looks  good  and  I want 
it.” 

“ You  must  be  sure  to  come  back  to-morrow. 
Your  case  needs  careful  attention  or  you  may  be 
very  sick,”  warns  the  doctor  of  a woman  threat- 
ened with  a run  of  fever.  But  she  goes  out  never 
to  be  seen  again. 

Less  than  forty  per  cent,  of  clinical  patients  re- 
turn for  a second  visit.  If  there  are  other  hospitals 
in  the  place,  they  are  doubtless  going  the  rounds  to 
test  the  treatment  given  in  each.  Out-calls  are 
discouraging  because  Chinese  etiquette  decrees 
that  a doctor  cannot  call  a second  time  unless  he  is 
sent  for.  In  all  likelihood,  at  the  time  of  his  visit 
other  doctors  have  preceded  him,  probably  Chinese 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  35 


old-school  medical  men,  and  their  medicines  ar« 
lying  hidden  out  of  sight  on  the  shelf.  The  doctor 
whose  visit  is  followed  by  improvement  in  the 
patient’s  condition  is  given  all  the  credit  for  the 
cure. 


Curiosity  and  Interest  of  Relatives 

Occupants  of  the  hospital  beds  often  tax  the  doc- 
tor’s patience  sorely,  but  their  numerous  relatives 
are  still  more  of  a trial.  The  latter  see  no  reason 
why  they  should  not  visit  the  hospital  in  troops  at 
any  hour  of  the  day,  stay  as  long  as  they  choose, 
chatter  vociferously,  or,  if  the  spirit  moves  them, 
take  the  patient  home,  perhaps  just  after  a critical 
operation ; then  if  he  dies,  the  doctor  is  blamed.  It 
used  to  be  almost  the  universal  custom  for  a hospital 
patient  to  provide  his  own  bedding,  food,  clothes, 
and  attendantc ; in  fact,  to  live  much  as  he  would 
at  home.  But  latterly  restrictions  have  grown  more 
numerous  until  now  in  many  hospitals,  food,  bed- 
ding, and  nurses  are  furnished,  and  visitors  admit- 
ted only  at  stated  times.  The  clothing  of  poor 
patients  is  thoroughly  steamed  and  put  away  to  be 
given  back  when  they  are  dismissed. 

While  the  confidence  of  the  Chinese  in  foreign 
medicine  has  been  a matter  of  corhparatively  slow 
growth,  their  faith  in  surgery,  which  was  a novelty 
in  the  Far  East,  was  immediate  and  almost  implicit. 
They  look  upon  the  cures  effected  as  little  short  of 


36 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


miraculous.  The  doctor  is  obliged  to  exercise 
great  caution  in  operating,  as  a death  may  result 
in  serious  trouble  for  him  and  the  hospital.  How- 
ever, the  old  suspicion  of  malicious  intent  is  rapidly 
dying  out  and  the  surgeon  is  often  urged  to  operate 
when  in  his  judgment  such  measures  are  not 
necessary. 

“Please,  Doctor,  operate  upon  me!”  a patient 
will  plead. 

“ I cannot.  You  would  die  if  I did.” 

“ Oh,  no,  I will  not  die.  I promise  not  to  die ! ” 


Where  Etiquette  is  a Barrier 

The  years  have  brought  many  marked  changes  in 
the  attitude  of  Chinese  women  toward  foreign  doc- 
tors. “ Forty  years  ago,”  said  a woman  doctor 
in  Tientsin,  “ when  I made  an  out-call  I had  to  go 
in  a closely-curtained  chair  lest  the  patient  lose 
face  by  having  her  neighbors  see  a foreign  doctor 
visit  her  home.  As  for  consulting  a man  doctor,  a 
Chinese  woman  would  rather  have  died  than  do 
it!” 

Several  years  ago  a male  physician  was  called 
to  the  home  of  a woman  patient  of  very  high  official 
rank.  The  patient  was  entirely  concealed  by  the 
bed-curtains  and  only  one  shapely  hand  was  thrust 
out  that  the  doctor  might  feel  her  pu^se.  The  doc- 
tor remained  in  the  room,  talking  quietly  with 
other  members  of  the  family — while,  little  by  little, 


China  Medical  Hoard. 

Peking  Union  Medical  College,  established  by  the  China  Medical  Board  of  the  Rockefeller  Founda- 
tion. Its  opening  marks  a new  period  in  the  history  of  medical  education  m Lhma. 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  37 

the  curtains  parted  until  they  were  entirely  thrown 
back. 

“ The  explanation  is  easy  enough,”  commented 
the  doctor  in  speaking  of  the  incident.  “ The  Chi- 
nese are  still  largely  dominated  by  custom  which  in 
their  real  thinking  has  come  to  have  slight  hold 
upon  them.” 

In  many  of  the  men's  hospitals,  women  as  well 
as  men  attend  the  clinics,  and  this  is  especially  true 
if  there  is  a foreign  woman  nurse  on  the  staff. 
Until  within  recent  years  there  were  no  general 
mission  hospitals  in  China,  but  they  are  happily 
increasing  in  number.  That  the  people  are  not 
opposed  to  them  is  shown  by  the  number  of  pa- 
tients in  the  women’s  wards,  and  for  the  sake  of 
economy  and  convenience  they  are  greatly  to  be 
desired. 


The  Establishment  of  Medical  Schools 

Missionary  doctors  had  not  been  long  in  China 
before  they  felt  the  urgent  need  of  training  native 
assistants.  In  the  beginning  the  Chinese  were  not 
attracted  to  the  study  of  medicine.  For  a time  the 
government  paid  young  men  to  enter  its  medical 
schools,  and  the  kind  of  doctors  they  turned  out, 
albeit  trained  according  to  Western  methods,  can 
easily  be  imagined.  The  few  youths  whom  the  early 
missionaries  were  able  to  induce  to  take  up  the 
work,  were  taught  enough  to  be  of  use  in  the  dis- 


38  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

pensary  and  clinic,  and  even  to  give  some  assist- 
ance in  the  operating  room.  It  was  not  long 
though  before  the  medical  profession  attained  great 
popularity  and  drew  to  it  many  of  China’s  most 
promising  young  men.  Later  mission  medical 
schools  were  opened,  but  as  they  could  afford  only 
limited  advantages,  those  who  aspired  after  the 
best  went  abroad  for  their  training. 

It  was  during  the  latter  years  of  the  last  century 
that  Chinese  girls  began  to  study  medicine.  At 
first  they  were  encouraged  to  do  so  by  the  mis- 
sionaries who  realized  the  crying  need  in  China  of 
Chinese  women  doctors,  but  soon  the  movement 
became  wholly  spontaneous  and  rapid.  All  hor">r 
to  the  brave  spirits  who  first  fared  courageously 
forth  upon  the  untrodden  path  leading  to  a pro- 
fessional career!  It  was  the  Chinese  woman’s 
“ Great  Adventure,”  but  that  she  dared  it  and  won 
out,  proves  her  inherent  strength  and  capabilities. 

There  are  in  China  to-day,  nine  missionary  medi- 
cal schools  for  men,  three  for  women,  and  the 
Peking  Union  Medical  College  under  the  China 
Medical  Board,  which  is  coeducational.  The 
Hackett  Medical  College  in  Canton,  the  oldest 
medical  college  for  women  in  C’nina,  has  just  cele- 
brated its  twentieth  anniversary,  having  graduated 
altogether  104  students. 

The  chief  difficulty  young  people  have  encoun- 
tered in  taking  up  the  study  of  medicine  has  been 
their  deficiency  in  pre-medical  education.  Medical 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  39 


schools  have  felt  obliged  to  adopt  a somewhat  low 
standard,  which  has  not  always  led  to  a high  grade 
of  graduate  doctors.  The  standard,  however,  is 
constantly  rising.  The  Woman’s  Union  Medical 
College  in  Peking,  opened  in  1908,  has  just  ad- 
vanced a step  and  made  the  condition  for  entrance, 
besides  a middle  or  high  school  course,  the  equiv- 
alent of  one  year  in  college,  and  after  1920,  two 
years  of  college  work  will  be  required. 

The  Need  of  Chinese  Doctors 

The  clearing  house  for  missionary  medical 
interests  throughout  China,  is  the  China  Medical 
Missionary  Association,  with  headquarters  in 
Shanghai. 

There  are  few  sadder  sights  in  China  than  a 
closed  hospital — empty  beds,  cobwebbed  windows, 
dust-covered  bottles  in  the  dispensary — and  suf- 
fering humanity  knocking  in  vain  for  admission. 
Perchance  the  foreign  doctor  was  called  home  by 
illness  or  the  exigencies  of  the  late  war,  and  there 
was  no  one  to  fill  the  vacancy;  so  the  patients  were 
sent  away  and  the  door  locked. 

Now  that  the  missionary  physicians  are  being 
released  from  war  service,  there  is  an  urgent  de- 
mand for  the  reopening  of  the  hospitals.  New 
hospitals  are  needed  in  many  centers  where  condi- 
tions have  been  studied  and  where  the  location  of 
adequate  medical  plants  is  a pressing  obligation 


40  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

upon  the  missionary  forces.  No  part  of  the  pro- 
gram for  public  health  is  of  more  importance 
than  the  provision  of  a sufficient  number 
of  well-equipped  medical  schools  for  training 
Chinese  doctors.  For  China’s  salvation,  physical 
as  well  as  spiritual,  depends  in  the  final  issue  on  her 
own  people,  and  the  more  quickly  they  can  get 
under  the  load  the  better  in  every  way. 

The  pressing  need  for  doctors  brings  up  the 
mooted  question  of  a short  cut  in  medicine.  Some 
reason  thus:  “A  full  scientific  course  is  ideal,  but 
of  necessity  it  must  be  reserved  for  the  few.  Not 
many  have  the  required  educational  preparation, 
money,  or  mental  qualifications.  Besides,  the  full 
course  takes  time,  as  years  of  study  are  needed. 
Meanwhile,  multitudes  all  around  are  dying.  Why 
not  give  a short  course  in  medicine,  good  as  far  as 
it  goes,  and  send  many  abroad  to  relieve  suffering 
and  save  life?  ” But  the  objectors  declare  emphat- 
ically, “ No!  We  are  here  to  give  China  our  best. 
If  we  sanction  partially  qualified  doctors,  others 
who  have  picked  up  a smattering  of  medical  know- 
ledge, perhaps  as  dispensary  assistants,  will  go  out 
without  our  sanction  and  do  infinite  harm.  We 
cannot  afford  to  seem  to  be  a party  to  such  danger- 
ous practises.”  It  is  a well-known  fact  that  China 
is  overrun  with  quacks.  The  government  not  re- 
quiring practitioners  to  register,  any  one  who  will 
may  hang  out  his  sign,  and  the  number  of  impos- 
tors who  work  upon  the  credulity  of  the  people — 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  41 


and  realize  handsome  incomes  is  legion.  They  are 
far  more  of  a menace  to  the  public  than  the  Chinese 
old-school  medical  man. 

A young  man  called  one  morning  at  a foreign 
hospital  and  taking  out  an  expensive  medicine  case 
containing  more  than  three  hundred  bottles,  asked 
casually  if  the  doctor  would  tell  him  how  to  use  the 
drugs  as  he  expected  to  be  made  physician-in- 
chief to  the  provincial  troops  in  the  city  where  he 
lived.  “ But  I can’t  tell  you  in  a few  minutes  how 
to  dispense  medicine!”  the  doctor  exclaimed, 
aghast  at  the  man’s  temerity.  “ That  is  something 
it  requires  years  to  learn.”  The  aspirant  for  medi- 
cal honors  went  away  disappointed,  but  in  a couple 
of  months,  having  gathered  up  a few  stray  facts,  he 
was  duly  appointed  to  the  position  he  coveted. 

The  Trained  Nurses  of  China 

The  need  for  Chinese  nurses  soon  became  as 
imperative  as  that  for  doctors.  But  at  this  point 
the  missionaries  encountered  a serious  difficulty. 
While  the  medical  profession  appealed  to  the  youth 
of  China  as  a worthy  calling,  nursing  was  a differ- 
ent matter.  It  was  sneered  at  as  a coolie’s  work, 
and  for  a time  only  those  from  a class  little  better 
than  coolies  could  be  persuaded  to  take  it  up.  They 
were  ignorant,  raw,  incapable,  and  likely  to  do  an 
immense  amount  of  mischief  unless  constantly 
watched.  Foreign  nurses,  who  soon  began  com- 


42  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

ing  to  China  in  considerable  numbers,  did  much  to 
dignify  the  profession.  Occasionally  a little  of  the 
old  spirit  still  manifests  itself  as  when  the  women 
students  in  a nurses’  training  school  “ struck  ” be- 
cause they  were  required  to  carry  the  trays  at  meal 
time  to  the  patients,  but  such  outbursts  are  rare, 
and  the  young  people  of  education  and  good  social 
standing  who  are  studying  nursing  grow  constantly 
more  numerous.  There  are  even  a few  who  are 
graduate  nurses  from  leading  hospitals  in  America 
and  Great  Britain. 

Excellent  work,  however,  is  being  done  in  some 
of  the  training  schools  in  China.  While  visiting 
the  Nurses’  Training  School  in  Peking,  one  of  the 
foreign  nurses  told  me  that  at  first  the  Chinese 
nurses  had  refused  to  be  photographed  in  their  uni- 
forms. That  would  stamp  them  as  servants.  Now, 
they  are  satisfied  to  appear  so  dressed  in  the  pic- 
ture; but  it  was  some  time  before  they  were  willing 
to  wear  white  shoes  because  white  is  used  as 
mourning  in  China. 

The  Nurses’  Association,  which  was  organized  in 
1911,  has  done  much  to  encourage  high  grade 
work.  It  has  162  members,  foreign  and  Chinese, 
of  whom  eight  are  men.  By  a rule  adopted  in 
1916  those  hospitals  that  are  registered  with  the 
Nurses’  Association  withhold  their  diploma  at  the 
end  of  their  three-year  nursing  course  until  the 
candidates  have  passed  the  examination  and  se- 
cured the  diploma  of  the  Central  organization. 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  43 


Some  faint-hearted  girls,  who  so  dread  the  test 
which  is  a severe  one  that  they  prefer  to  sacrifice 
their  diplomas,  are  often  made  sensible  later  of 
what  it  would  mean  to  them  in  their  work,  and 
return  after  a year  or  two  of  nursing  to  take  the 
examination. 


Men  in  the  Nursing  Profession 

For  several  years  men  nurses  were  greatly  in 
excess  of  women  nurses,  as  men’s  hospitals  far 
outnumber  hospitals  for  women.  But  as  general 
hospitals  multiply,  the  ratio  between  men  and 
women  nurses  is  gradually  changing.  It  is  com- 
monly conceded,  however, -that  the  time  is  not  ripe 
for  women  nurses  to  be  put  in  men’s  wards.  A trial 
was  made  a few  years  ago  in  a hospital  in  Central 
China  with  the  result  that  the  local  press  took  the 
matter  up  and  such  a stir  was  created  that  it  looked 
for  a while  as  if  the  hospital  would  have  to  close 
its  doors. 

“ Do  men  make  as  good  nurses  as  women  in 
China?”  some  one  may  ask.  As  a rule  they  are 
better  nurses  than  foreign  men  because  they  are 
more  accustomed  to  certain  kinds  of  indoor  work. 
But  like  men  the  world  over,  they  lack  the  nursing 
instinct  which  is  born  in  most  women,  and  that 
nameless  something  we  may  call  the  “ woman’s 
touch.” 

At  first  it  was  thought  that  it  would  not  do  in 


44  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

hospital  work  to  put  a foreign  woman  nurse  in 
charge  of  Chinese  men  nurses,  but  the  plan  has 
worked  admirably.  A foreign  nurse  in  a northern 
province,  who  spoke  most  warmly  in  commendation 
of  her  “ boys,”  was  showing  me  through  her  beau- 
tifully kept  hospital  one  day.  We  came  to  the 
linen  room  where  the  cupboards  containing  band- 
ages were  thrown  open  for  me  to  see.  Taking  up 
one  of  the  neat  rolls  Miss  M.  said,  “ Each  of  these 
contains  twelve  pieces  of  gauze  I tell  my  boys, 
whose  work  it  is  to  prepare  them,  that  when  I say 
‘ twelve  pieces,’  I mean  exactly  that,  and  not  eleven 
pieces  or  thirteen  pieces.  I impress  upon  them 
that  a mistake  may  mean  that  a piece  of  gauze  is 
left  in  a wound  and  may  result  in  the  death  of  the 
patient  But  it  is  hard  to  teach  them  to  be  exact.” 

The  Rockefeller  Foundation  in  China 

The  opening  of  the  Peking  Union  Medical  Col- 
lege under  the  China  Medical  Board  of  the  Rocke- 
feller Foundation  in  the  autumn  of  1919  will  mark 
a signal  advance  in  the  achievements  of  Western 
medical  science  in  China.  Unsurpassed  in  staff, 
equipment,  and  financial  backing,  the  organization 
faces  a future  bright  with  possibilities.  But  in  all 
our  enthusiasm  and  rejoicing  over  the  new  plant, 
let  us  not  forget  that  it  rests  on  other  men’s  founda- 
tions, for  without  the  faithful,  preparatory  work  of 
medical  missionaries  it  could  not  have  come  into 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  45 


HOW  THE  CHINA  MEDICAL  BOARD  IS  HELPING 

Squares  indicate  location  of  Medical  Schools  aided  by  the  Board. 
Triangle  indicates  position  of  Pre-Medical  School  aided  by  Board. 
Circles  indicate  location  of  Missionary  Hospitals  receiving  con- 
tributions from  the  Board. 

Size  is  proportioned  roughlj’  to  the  full  amounts  pledged  whether 
already  paid  or  not. 

(Courtesy  of  China  Medical  Board) 


46 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


existence.  In  the  hard  years  of  beginnings,  men 
and  women  heavily  burdened  have  stayed  loyally 
at  their  posts  in  hospitals  understaffed,  meagerly 
equipped,  inadequately  financed,  enduring  sleep- 
less nights  succeeding  anxious  days  spent  inpraying 
and  planning  for  means  to  continue  the  work. 
Temples  and  bamboo  sheds  have  served  as  dispen- 
saries, tents  as  hospitals,  and  many  a critical  oper- 
ation has  been  successfully  performed  in  a thatched 
roof  hut  with  a coffin  lid  for  an  operating  table.  A 
Chinese  coffin  lid,  by  the  way,  is  no  mean  operating 
table,  for  its  seamless  surface  is  covered  with 
Ningpo  varnish  which  hardens  and  gives  a smooth, 
polished  finish. 

None  are  more  appreciative  of  the  splendid  work 
done  by  the  missionaries  than  the  members  of  the 
China  Medical  Commission,  who  in  1914  traveled 
extensively  over  China  studying  sympathetically 
the  mission  hospitals  and  medical  schools.  The 
China  Medical  Board  is  in  China  to  make  the 
dreams  of  the  missionaries  come  true ! Mission- 
aries have  their  ideals  for  high  standards  of  equip- 
ment and  service,  but  too  often  the  realization  of 
them  fades  to  the  vanishing  point. 

The  work  of  the  China  Medical  Board  is  of 
three  kinds:  medical  education,  represented  by  the 
present  plant  in  Peking,  and  one  to  follow  later  in 
Shanghai  for  which  the  land  is  already  bought;  a 
grant-in-aid  to  a limited  number  of  missionary  hos- 
pitals and  medical  schools;  and  fellowships  and 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  47 


scholarships  to  enable  doctors  and  nurses,  foreign 
and  Chinese,  to  study  in  America. 

The  palace  and  grounds  of  a Manchu  prince,  cov- 
ering ten  acres  in  the  heart  of  Peking,  were  pur- 
chased by  the  China  Medical  Board  as  the  site  for 
their  new  plant.  In  the  fall  of  1917,  when  the 
foundations  were  down  for  the  first  building  and 
just  before  the  laying  of  the  corner-stone,  a party 
of  us  rambled  over  the  place.  Fantastic  palace 
buildings  on  successive  terraces,  court  after  court, 
labyrinthine  passages,  sylvan  dells,  and  miniature 
temples,  met  us  at  every  turn.  A year  later  I 
visited  the  grounds  again.  What  a transformation ! 
Gone  were  the  former  landmarks  with  the  excep- 
tion of  some  fine  old  trees  and  two  grotesque  stone 
lions  that  stood  guard  at  the  entrance  to  the  enclo- 
sure. Eleven  gray  brick  buildings  were  nearly 
completed,  including  those  intended  for  anatomy, 
physiology,  chemistry,  administration,  library,  and 
hospital  with  wards  for  two  hundred  men  and 
women,  all  to  be  completed  when  the  college  opens. 
Three  more  buildings,  making  the  total  number 
fourteen,  will  be  ready  by  the  fall  of  1920. 

An  adaptation  of  Chinese  architecture  has  been 
used  for  these  buildings.  The  bricks  of  the  old 
palace  were  taken  for  the  modern  medical  plant  and 
they  were  found  to  be  better  than  any  bricks  made 
to-day.  The  green  tiles  for  the  roofs  came  from 
the  ancient  Imperial  Tile  Works.  The  furniture 
was  made  on  the  premises  and  as  many  as  3,500 


48 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


workmen  have  been  at  work  at  one  time  on  the 
buildings  and  fittings. 


The  Question  of  Coeducation 

On  Hataman  Street,  not  far  away,  is  Lockhart 
Hall,  the  headquarters  of  the  Pre-Medical  School 
with  students’  dormitories  in  the  rear.  The  Pre- 
Medical  School  opened  in  September,  1917.  The 
entire  medical  course  includes  three  years  in  the 
Pre-Medical  School,  four  in  college,  and  one  as 
hospital  interne.  Internes  will  be  encouraged  to 
scatter  among  the  missionary  hospitals,  with  spe- 
cial consideration  for  those  in  the  interior,  the  only 
stipulation  being  that  the  hospital  shall  furnish 
the  necessary  scientific  training.  That  the  China 
Medical  Board  has  taken  an  advanced  stand,  it 
needs  only  to  be  stated  that  the  Peking  Union 
Medical  College  is  coeducational.  Now,  among 
China  missionaries  there  are  all  shades  of  opinion 
on  the  subject  of  medical  coeducation,  from  those 
who  denounce  it  -unqualifiedly  as  utterly  ruinous 
in  a country  like  China,  to  those  who  look  upon  it 
as  an  interesting  experiment,  or  decidedly  favor  it. 
This  question  of  coeducation  came  up  in  conversa- 
tion with  Mr.  Roger  Greene,  resident  director  of 
the  China  Medical  Board. 

“The  great  difficulty,”  he  remarked,  “will  be  to 
find  women  who  have  had  the  required  preparation 
to  enter  the  Medical  College.  The  Pre-Medical 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  49 


School  is  not  open  to  them,  though  it  may  be 
later.” 

“ But  provided  that  women  do  enter,  you  anti- 
cipate no  trouble?  ” 

“ No,  for  the  high  entrance  requirements  and  the 
difficulty  of  the  course  will  act  as  safeguards.  Stu- 
dents who  come  to  us  will  naturally  be  mature  and 
they  must  be  dead  in  earnest  or  we  shall  not  keep 
them.  Then,  too,  we  expect  to  limit  the  number 
of  students  in  the  college  to  two  hundred.  Coedu- 
cation is  possible  only  where  the  numbers  are  small 
and  there  is  adequate  supervision.” 

“ I understand  that  your  pre-medical  internes  are 
visiting  the  Methodist  Woman’s  Hospital  regu- 
larly?” 

“ Yes,  and  the  students  of  the  Union  Woman’s 
College  come  here  for  autopsies.  I have  not  heard 
of  anything  at  all  to  criticise  in  their  conduct.” 

A few  days  later  I sought  Miss  Powell,  one  of 
the  nurses  in  the  Woman’s  Hospital. 

“ How  do  you  get  along  with  the  internes  from 
the  Medical  College?  ” 

“Beautifully!  ” and  the  sunny  face  broke  into  a 
smile. 

“ But  don’t  your  patients  object  to  their  visits?  ” 

“ At  first  they  did,  but  I explained  to  them  that 
the  men  were  here  because  they  wanted  to  learn 
better  how  to  help  the  women  of  China,  and  when 
they  understood,  nearly  every  one,  even  the  private 
patients,  gladly  consented  to  see  them.” 


50 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


“ There  is  a great  deal  of  criticism  of  this  thing 
in  China,  I find.” 

“Yes,  I know,  and  I can’t  see  why.  The  boys 
are  such  perfect  gentlemen  and  they  are  so  gentle 
and  kind.  The  other  night  I went  with  two  of 
them  across  the  city  to  bring  a poor  patient  to  the 
hospital.  The  air  was  bitterly  cold  and  we  all 
shivered,  but  when  the  boys  saw  that  the  woman 
was  thinly  clad,  they  at  once  slipped  off  their  out- 
side garments  and  wrapped  them  around  her.” 


Christian  Relief  Institutions 

Dissection  was  officially  authorized  in  China  in 
1913.  This  was  an  inestimable  boon  to  the  medical 
profession.  The  Chinese  naturally  have  an  inher- 
ent horror  of  dissection,  which  grows  out  of  ances- 
tral worship.  Indeed,  many  carry  this  so  far  that 
they  consider  it  disrespectful  to  ancestors  to  muti- 
late their  own  bodies;  so  that  it  is  often  difficult 
for  doctors  to  gain  their  consent  to  amputate  limbs 
in-  order  to  save  life.  It  is  almost  certain  that  the 
long-hoped-for  concession  would  not  have  been 
granted  when  it  was,  had  not  the  frightful  ravages 
of  the  pneumonia-  plague  in  the  winter  of  1911 
actually  forced  it  from  the  government.  Medical 
schools  were  given  permission  to  dissect  the  un- 
claimed bodies  of  criminals.  The  first  dissection  in 
Soochow  was  made  an  event.  Over  sixty  officials 
and  representative  business  men  went  to  witness 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE 


it  at  the  Government  Medical  College;  the  scene 
was  photographed,  and  afterward  a pamphlet  was 
published  in  which  it  was  stated  that  this  was  the 
first  dissection  in  China  for  four  thousand  years. 
While  dissection  is  legalized,  public  sentiment  is 
still  so  strongly  against  it,  that  except  in  some  of 
the  large  eastern  cities  it  is  not  generally  practised. 

A natural  outgrowth  of  medical  work  was  mis- 
sion schools  for  the  blind  and  the  deaf  and  dumb, 
a home  for  cripples,  retreats  for  lepers,  and  last,  but 
by  no  means  least,  a refuge  for  the  insane  at  Can- 
ton. This  last-named  institution,  which  is  the  only 
one  of  its  kind  in  China,  was  started  in  a small 
way  twenty  years  ago  by  Dr.  John  G.  Kerr,  of  the 
American  Presbyterian  Board,  after  he  had  been 
in  charge  of  the  old  Canton  Hospital  for  forty- 
three  years. 

The  story  of  this  truly  remarkable  work,  from 
its  small  beginnings  through  successive  stages  to 
the  present  time,  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  in 
missionary  annals.  The  Refuge  has  now  360  pa- 
tients, and  land,  buildings,  equipment,  current 
expenses,  improvements,  and  everything  except  the 
salary  of  the  foreign  superintendent,  are  paid  for  by 
the  Chinese.  To  sit  beside  IMrs.  Kerr,  the  hale 
octogenarian  who  has  survived  her  husband,  and 
listen  to  her  anecdotes  of  bygone  days  when  most 
missionaries  considered  work  for  the  insane  a 
doubtful  experiment,  is  a privilege  and  inspiration 
long  to  be  remembered. 


52 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


Medical  Work  a Christian  Force 

The  purpose  and  end  of  all  missionary  work  is  to 
lead  men  and  women  to  Jesus  Christ.  Is  the  med- 
ical work  in  China  doing  this?  The  mission  boards 
at  home  in  the  early  years  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury were  slow  to  comprehend  that  medical  work 
rightly  conducted  was  as  truly  missionary  work  as 
any  other  and  one  of  the  surest  evangelizing  agen- 
cies. It  is  said  of  Peter  Parker  that  he  “ opened 
China  at  the  point  of  the  lancet.”  When  Dr. 
Leonora  Howard  began  her  work  in  Tientsin  it 
was  just  after  the  massacre  of  1870,  and  the  mission 
chapels  were  empty  because  the  people  were  afraid 
to  venture  out  of  their  homes.  But  they  flocked 
to  the  hospital,  and  one  poor  soul,  after  hearing 
the  gospel  story,  would  reach  out  her  hand  as  Dr. 
Howard  passed  along  the  ward  murmuring,  “If 
I can  touch  you  I shall  be  well.” 

The  military  governor  of  a certain  province  was 
so  impressed  by  the  spirit  of  the  hospital  where  he 
was  a patient,  that  when  he  left  it  he  began  attend- 
ing the  mission  services  in  his  city  and  soon  became 
an  earnest  Christian.  He  now  exerts  an  influence 
for  good  that  is  felt  far  and  wide. 

A poor  woman  in  north  China  was  for  several 
weeks  a patient  in  a mission  hospital.  She  went 
in  as  an  ignorant,  superstitious  idol-worshiper;  she 
came  out  a new  creature  in  Christ  Jesus.  She 
returned  to  her  village  and  told  her  husband  of 


TRIUMPHS  OF  WESTERN  MEDICAL  SCIENCE  53 

Jesus.  He  beat  her.  She  told  her  neighbors  and 
they  scoffed  at  her.  But  she  would  not  be  silenced, 
and  to-day  that  village  is  practically  Christian  be- 
cause of  one  woman  who  found  her  Savior  in  a 
hospital. 

Stories  like  these  could  be  multiplied  by  the 
thousand.  Every  mission  hospital  employs  one  or 
more  Chinese  evangelists  to  work  among  the  pa- 
tients. At  the  Yale-in-China  hospital  in  Changsha 
plans  are  now  being  made  to  do  follow-up  work  in 
the  homes  of  the  patients. 

The  China  Medical  Board,  besides  having  the 
services  of  a Chinese  evangelist,  has  engaged  an 
American  clergyman,  whose  whole  time  will  be 
given  to  promoting  religious  and  social  work  in  the 
college  and  hospital.  Daily  chapel  exercises  will 
be  held  for  the  medical  students,  though  attendance 
will  be  considered  voluntary.  It  is  hoped  that  the 
spiritual  power  and  efficiency  of  the  college  will 
be  as  great  as  that  of  any  other  college  in  China. 

One  of  our  medical  missionaries  has  said,  “ If 
China  gets  Christ,  she  will  soon  get  hospitals.” 
May  we  not  reverse  the  statement  and  say  with 
equal  truth,  “ If  China  is  adequately  supplied  with 
Christian  hospitals,  she  will  soon  get  Christ”? 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE 


CHAPTER  III 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE 

Dr.  Wu  Lien  Teh,  one  of  China’s  most  brilliant 
young  physicians,  was  showing  several  of  us  over 
his  beautiful  new  hospital  in  Peking.  In  a month 
or  two  the  workmen  would  be  through  and  then 
would  come  the  grand  opening.  As  Dr.  Wu  hur- 
ried ahead  of  us  to  clear  the  way,  I thought  to 
myself,  “We  hear  much  at  home  about  the  stolid 
and  slow  Chinese,  but  yonder  is  the  very  embodi- 
ment of  nervous  energy!  ’’ 

The  Central  Hospital  was  well  worth  seeing. 
Four  spacious  wing  wards  surrounded  by  windows, 
a roof  garden  for  convalescents,  two  perfectly 
equipped  operating  rooms,  one  for  in-patients  and 
one  for  out-patients,  diet  kitchens  for  preparing 
both  Chinese  and  foreign  food,  an  elevator,  sunny 
rooms  for  private  patients  and  delightful  suites  for 
the  rich,  ideal  sanitary  arrangements,  an  ambulance 
with  two  beds,  and  an  automobile  for  the  use  of 
the  doctors, — nothing  seemed  to  have  been  for- 
gotten. 

An  All-Chinese  Hospital 

“ You  have  a wonderful  hospital ! ’’  we  exclaimed 
in  admiration  as  we  passed  through  the  attractive 
rooms. 


57 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


S8 

“Well,  it  ought  to  be  good.  For  seven  years  I 
have  poured  my  very  life-blood  into  it.” 

“What  led  you  to  think  of  building  it?” 

“ I have  had  it  in  mind  ever  since  my  student 
days  in  Edinburgh  but  the  outbreak  of  the  pneu- 
monic plague  in  1911  startled  me  into  beginning 
the  work  at  once.” 

“ Where  did  you  get  your  money?  ” 

“ Part  of  it  came  from  the  government,  and  I 
secured  large  private  gifts.  Some  of  these  will  be 
annuals  but  the  hospital  should  soon  be  self- 
supporting.” 

“ I suppose  you  received  a good  deal  of  money 
from  foreigners?” 

“Not  a copper!  I didn’t  ask  for  it.  I felt  that 
the  time  had  come  for  China  to  have  a thoroughly 
modern  hospital  built,  financed,  and  operated  solely 
by  Chinese.  As  far  as  ours  goes  it  will  be  as  good 
as  the  best  anywhere.” 

“How  many  beds  will  the  hospital  have?” 

“A  hundred  and  fifty.  We  had  great  difficulty 
in  getting  our  equipment  shipped  from  abroad  on 
account  of  the  war.  The  railroads  did  a fine  thing. 
They  carried  all  my  freight  free  of  charge  and  now 
they  allow  me  to  travel  on  a pass.” 

Just  at  this  point  we  entered  a room  where  some 
women  nurses  were  removing  the  wrappings  from 
a fresh  consignment  of  hospital  beds. 

“ That  shows  the  difference  between  men  and 
women  nurses,”  said  Dr.  Wu  as  we  passed  out.  “ I 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE 


59 


did  not  tell  those  girls  to  do  that.  Now,  if  I give 
the  men  a job,  as  soon  as  they  finish  it  they  will  sit 
around  and  chat  and  smoke  till  I set  them  at  some- 
thing else,  but  the  women  find  their  own  work. 
They  have  initiative.” 

The  Headquarters  of  the  Imperial  Surgeons 

When  we  had  finished  our  inspection  of  the 
hospital,  one  of  the  party  turned  laughingly  to  Dr. 
Wu. 

“ I am  fond  of  contrasts.  You  have  just  shown 
us  an  up-to-date  Chinese  hospital.  Are  you  too 
busy  to  take  us  to  see  one  of  the  old-style  hospi- 
tals?” 

“You  mean  like  the  Municipal  Hospital?” 

“ No,  something  still  more  primitive.” 

The  doctor  thought  a minute. 

“ I have  it!  ” he  exclaimed.  “ I will  take  you  to 
the  College  of  Imperial  Surgeons.” 

So  we  rode  across  the  city  in  our  rickshas  and 
finally  entered  a courtyard  leading  to  a shabby 
building  covered  inside  and  out  with  faded  fres- 
coes. Behind  it  was  another  court  and  another 
building  and  back  of  that  a third,  and  how  many 
more  beyond  I do  not  know,  for  we  stopped  ex- 
ploring. Dr.  Wu  led  us  to  a small  building  not 
far  from  the  entrance  and  bade  the  caretaker  draw 
aside  the  dusty  curtain  that  concealed  the  rear 
wall.  As  he  did  so  there  stood  before  us  a life-size 
bronze  figure  which  we  took  for  a Buddha. 


6o 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


“These  premises,”  explained  Dr.  Wu,  “during 
the  late  Manchu  dynasty  were  the  official  head- 
quarters of  the  Imperial  Surgeons,  twenty  of  them, 
who  lived  on  fat  salaries  and  attended  the  members 
of  the  royal  household.  This  figure  was  their  cher- 
ished manikin,  though  I don’t  suppose  they  ever 
studied  it.  Do  you  see  how  the  body  is  punctured 
and  how  evenly  the  punctures  are  distributed? 
Old-time  practitioners  say  there  are  seven  hundred 
places  in  the  human  anatomy  where  it  is  safe  to 
thrust  in  a needle,  but  if  these  are  all  safe  I’d  like  to 
know  where  you  will  find  a spot  that  isn’t  safe!  ” 
f-  “ How  old  do  you  think  this  figure  is?  ” 

“ Oh,  I can’t  say ; several  hundred  years,  anyway. 
Very  few  people  in  Peking  know  about  it.  I dis- 
covered it  myself  only  a short  time  ago.” 

It  is  a mistake  to  imagine  that  when  Peter  Parker 
came  to  the  Far  East  there  were  no  doctors  and  no 
medicine  in  China.  Indeed,  China  can  boast  of  a 
heritage  in  medical  lore  of  which  any  country  might 
be  proud.  Centuries  before  the  time  of  Hippo- 
crates, so  reliable  documents  state,  medical  statis- 
tics were  published  by  the  government;  medical 
men  were  obliged  to  pass  state  examinations  before 
being  allowed  to  practise,  and  even  the  need  of 
isolating  cases  of  infectious  disease  was  generally 
understood.  As  early  as  the  third  century  B.  C.  the 
great  surgeon,  Hua  To, is  reported  to  have  handled 
several  cases  of  intracranial  surgery,  and  a famous 
painting  actually  depicts  him  performing  an  opera- 


This  bronze  manikin  showing  the  seven  hundred  places  where 
the  human  body  may  be  punctured  with  safety  was  an  impo"’ant 
part  of  the  equipment  of  the  ancient  College  of  Imperial  Sur- 
geons in  Peking. 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE  6i 

tion  for  necrosis  of  the  elbow  upon  a distinguished 
general. 

When  we  compare  the  medical  profession  in 
China  to-day  with  that  of  the  past,  all  we  can  say 
is,  “ How  are  the  mighty  fallen ! ” Now,  doctors 
are  not  registered;  infectious  cases  are  not  iso* 
lated;  surgery  is  not  practised;  anesthetics  are  un- 
known, and  the  anatomy  of  the  human  body  is 
practically  as  little  understood  as  the  mysteries  of 
the  planet  Mars. 

The  Old-School  Doctors  of  China 

Although  Western  medicine  has  gained  wide- 
spread popularity,  still  the  old-school  doctors  have 
by  no  means  gone  out  of  practise,  and  their  pre- 
scriptions continue  to  be  relied  upon  by  the  masses 
of  the  people.  Even  many  of  the  highly  intelligent 
choose  their  services,  like  the  Chinese  physician, 
who,  though  himself  trained  in  Western  methods, 
on  being  taken  sick  called  in  an  old-school  practi- 
tioner;— or  the  Chinese  ambassador  to  a European 
court  who  when  dying  was  found  with  the  ortho- 
dox medical  man  mumbling  incantations  by  his 
bedside.  It  must  be  confessed  that  these  very 
doctors  often  carry  an  air  of  distinction  which 
commends  them  even  to  the  disbeliever.  I once 
called  to  see  a sick  Chinese  friend,  the  principal  of 
a large  school.  Her  doctor  was  in  the  room.  As 
he  rose  to  greet  me  with  the  beautiful  old-fashioned 


62 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


salutation,  his  pongee  gown  immaculate,  his  thin 
white  beard  adding  to  the  patriarchal  dignity  of  his 
kind,  scholarly  face,  I found  myself  saying  to  him 
with  genuine  respect  and  deference,  “ Good  after- 
noon, Doctor.” 

The  profession  of  medicine  is  usually  followed  in 
certain  families  through  successive  generations. 
There  are  no  medical  schools,  but  some  of  the 
ancient  books  like  the  National  Pharmacopoeia  are 
still  extant  and  studied.  The  father  passes  on  to 
his  son  the  knowledge  he  has  acquired,  which  is 
pretty  sure  to  include  various  professional  secrets 
— prescriptions  and  practises  some  progenitor  has 
discovered  to  be  useful — and  which,  instead  of 
being  divulged  for  the  good  of  mankind,  are  jeal- 
ously guarded  by  the  recipient  as  proprietary 
rights. 


Goose  Feather  Poultices  and  Tiger  Hair  Broth! 

A fundamental  principle  governing  the  practise 
of  medicine  is  that  the  possession  of  evil  spirits 
causes  most  of  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  Con- 
sequently, the  affected  part  must  be  pierced  with 
a long,  sharp  needle  to  make  a way  of  escape.  A 
man  suffering  from  appendicitis  was  pounded  all 
over  his  body  with  a heavy  iron  to  drive  out  the 
offending  spirit.  Much  is  made  of  counter-irri- 
tants, needles  being  run  under  the  nails  of  the  toes 
and  fingers  in  cases  of  cholera,  and  the  flesh  pinched 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE  63 

with  hot  copper  cash  to  draw  out  inflammation,  fre- 
quently with  beneficial  results. 

Ignorance  and  superstition  lead  to  many  abusive 
practises  on  the  part  of  the  people.  The  parents 
of  a child  with  a fractured  skull  smeared  the  open 
wound  with  incense  ashes  and  black  mud,  over 
which  goose  feathers  were  sprinkled.  Another 
child  with  fever  was  wrapped  tightly  in  blankets 
and  then  deliberately  sat  upon  by  an  adult  till  he 
was  smothered  to  death.  A few  weeks  ago  while 
I was  conversing  with  a lovely  young  woman,  she 
pulled  up  her  sleeve  and  showed  me  an  ugly  scar 
on  her  right  arm  just  above  the  wrist. 

“ Before  I became  a Christian,”  she  said,  “ I re- 
turned home  one  day  from  boarding-school  to  find 
my  father  sick  unto  death  with  his  coffin  and  burial 
clothes  beside  him.  I went  out  of  the  room,  took 
a knife  and  cut  out  a large  piece  of  flesh  from  my 
arm.  This  I boiled  in  water  and  gave  my  father  to 
drink.  He  soon  began  to  recover  and  lived  another 
year.” 

“What  did  your  mother  say?” 

“ None  of  the  family  knew  about  it.  The  cure 
would  have  lost  its  efficacy  if  I had  not  kept  it  a 
secret  for  a hundred  days.  But  what  I did  was 
nothing  unusual  in  China.  It  would  be  an  unduti- 
ful  child  who  would  not  make  such  a sacrifice  for 
a parent.” 

Chinese  medicines  comprise  an  almost  endless 
variety.  They  include  some  Western  drugs,  like 


64  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

castor  oil,  camphor,  sulphur,  and  quinine.  Besides 
many  herbs  which  unquestionably  possess  healing 
properties,  there  are  medicines  in  use  not  so  appe- 
tizing and  palatable,  such  as  dried  scorpions,  tigers’ 
teeth,  cockroaches,  cicadas,  and  snake  skins.  A 
woman  presented  herself  at  a foreign  hospital  com- 
plaining that  although  she  had  eaten  over  two  hun- 
dred spiders  her  health  had  not  improved!  The 
bones  of  tigers  are  believed  to  give  great  strength 
to  the  weak  and  debilitated.  Those  who  cannot 
afford  such  a luxury  are  advised  to  drink  a decoc- 
tion which  is  made  from  the  hairs  of  the  tiger’s 
mustache. 

Never  shall  I forget  a visit  that  I made  with  a 
Presbyterian  missionary  to  a wholesale  medicine 
factory  in  Hangchow.  We  clambered  up  steep 
flights  of  stairs  to  the  numerous  stories  and  roofs 
of  the  rambling  old  buildings  where  vast  quantities 
of  herbs,  leaves,  berries,  and  roots  were  drying  in 
the  sun,  or  gathered  into  baskets  and  boxes  ready 
for  shipment;  we  descended  into  the  basement  to 
peer  into  caldrons  where  suspicious  looking  mix- 
tures were  boiling,  and,  finally,  ended  our  wander- 
ings in  the  rooms  given  up  to  the  compounding  of 
deer  medicine.  It  is  deer  medicine  for  which  this 
particular  factory  is  noted.  There  were  living  deer 
in  pens,  and  medicine  was  being  made  from  every 
part  of  the  deer’s  body : horns,  skin,  hair,  and  hoofs, 
though  the  horn  mixture  is  considered  the  most 
valuable. 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE 


65 


Chinese  Hospitals  of  Former  Days 

Under  the  old  regime,  hospitals,  as  we  under- 
stand them  in  the  West,  were  unknown  in  China. 
There  were  Halls  of  Benevolence  where  coflins 
were  sometimes  furnished  to  the  poor,  and  medi- 
cine irregularly  dispensed,  though  even  these  places 
were  few.  But  the  opening  of  foreign  hospitals  in- 
spired the  Chinese  to  follow  in  time  with  hospitals 
of  their  own,  and  no  study  is  more  interesting  than 
the  steady  development  of  these  native  hospitals, 
through  their  several  gradations,  from  the  worst  to 
the  best.  A step  above  the  Halls  of  Benevolence, 
or  possibly  a step  below  them,  are  the  hospitals 
occasionally  found  with  a few  beds  for  in-patients, 
but  which  are  run  in  haphazard  fashion,  and  are 
wretchedly  dirty  and  unsanitary. 

Far  in  advance  of  this  class  is  the  type  well  illus- 
trated in  the  great  eleemosynary  institution  in  Can- 
ton known  in  English  as  Convenience  Hospital.  It 
averages  the  year  round  more  than  seven  hundred 
in-patients.  Additional  wards  are  being  erected 
and,  in  the  meantime,  two  mammoth  bamboo  sheds 
accommodate  the  overflow.  All  the  doctors  are  of 
the  old  school.  Like  their  confreres  elsewhere  in 
China,  they  diagnose  disease  by  the  state  of  the 
pulse,  feeling  in  turn  both  wrists.  The  beating  of 
the  pulse  on  the  left  arm  indicates  the  condition 
of  the  heart,  while  that  on  the  right  shows  the 
health  of  the  lungs  and  liver. 


66 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


“Is  surgery  practised  here?”  I asked.  The 
guide  looked  blank. 

“ Do  the  doctors  ever  use  the  knife  on  their 
patients?  ” 

“No,”  he  replied  with  emphasis.  “They  never 
touch  a patient  with  a knife.” 

The  place  is  quite  clean  and  the  patient’s  rooms 
comfortable  enough  but  with  only  slight  provi- 
sion for  light.  The  outdoor  passage-ways  that 
separate  the  wards,  instead  of  admitting  light  and 
air,  are  choked  with  a dense  growth  of  tropical 
plants.  Boxes  in  which  to  deposit  gifts  for  the 
hospital  are  placed  in  different  parts  of  the  city 
and  large  sums  are  donated  annually. 


The  Development  of  Chinese  Medical  Work 

Next  in  order  are  the  hospitals  where  both  West- 
ern-trained and  Chinese-trained  doctors,  all  Chi- 
nese, are  in  attendance,  and  both  Western  and 
Chinese  medicine  dispensed.  Peking  has  several 
excellent  examples  of  this  kind  of  hospital.  Usu- 
ally the  foreign  dispensary  with  its  doctors  is  on 
one  side  of  the  building,  and  the  Chinese  on  the 
other.  Patients  may  take  their  choice.  Which  is 
the  more  popular  seems  to  depend  on  the  locality. 
In  the  aggregate,  the  people’s  patronage  is  appar- 
ently divided  quite  impartially. 

The  Kwang  Hua  Hospital  in  Canton  is  unique, 
not  so  much  on  account  of  its  being  run  according 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE  67 

to  Western  methods  by  Western-trained  doctors, 
all  of  them  Chinese,  but  because  the  medical  school 
in  connection  with  it  is  coeducational.  This  school 
and  the  Peking  Union  Medical  College  are  the  only 
coeducational  medical  schools  in  China.  The 
Kwang  Hua  Medical  School  has  eighty  students, 
thirty  of  whom  are  women.  The  walls  of  the  hos- 
pital reception  room  are  hung  with  pictures  of 
men  and  women  students  in  cap  and  gown,  and 
their  bright,  earnest  faces  certainly  speak  well  for 
the  success  of  the  school.  The  up-keep  of  this 
hospital  is  good,  but  here  again  the  wards  and 
private  rooms  are  conspicuous  for  their  lack  of 
sufficient  light  and  air. 

Heading  the  list  of  Chinese  hospitals,  indeed,  in 
every  way  infinitely  superior  to  the  best  of  the 
others,  are  the  Central  Hospital  in  Peking  described 
at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter,  and  the  new  gov- 
ernment Army  and  Navy  Hospital,  also  in  Peking. 
An  American  gentleman  who  visited  this  latter 
hospital  shortly  before  it  was  opened  described  it 
as  “really  tremendous.”  It  stands  on  a valuable 
plot  of  three  hundred  acres  which  was  formerly  the 
site  of  the  Imperial  Granaries.  Besides  the  hospi- 
tal, the  plant  includes  a medical  school  for  four 
hundred  students,  the  only  national  medical  school 
in  China,  a veterinary  hospital,  and  a drug  manu- 
factory. 

The  numerous  buildings,  which  are  strictly  Chi- 
nese in  plan  and  architecture  though  entirely  mod- 


68 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


ern  in  equipment,  are  all  one-story  in  height  and 
connected  wherever  desirable  by  covered  passage- 
ways. The  blue  trimmings  around  the  doors  and 
windows  and  the  ornamentation  over  the  gateways, 
heighten  the  Oriental  effect.  Two  of  the  Granary 
buildings  have  been  allowed  to  stand,  one  as  a 
stable  for  the  horses  kept  to  teach  the  medical 
students  to  ride,  and  the  other,  formerly  the  temple 
of  the  God  of  Architecture,  is  fitted  up  as  a social 
hall  for  the  students.  The  head  of  the  hospital 
and  the  man  who  must  be  credited  with  planning 
and  carrying  through  the  entire  enterprise,  is  Dr. 
Chuan  Shao  Ching.  He  is  a Christian,  having 
been  a student  as  a boy  in  the  American  Board 
College  in  Tungchow  near  Peking,  and  later  gradu- 
ating from  Johns  Hopkins  University.  The  Chi- 
nese are  also  conducting  several  isolation  hospitals 
successfully;  one  at  Peking  being  of  especially 
high  grade. 

China  furnishes  two  splendid  examples  of  cooper- 
ative work  between  Chinese  and  foreigners.  One 
of  these  is  the  Yale-in-China  medical  work  at 
Changsha,  the  capital  of  Hunan,  where  the  most 
cordial  relations  are  maintained.  TJhe  work  is 
growing  so  rapidly  that  it  is  hard  to  expand  the 
facilities  of  the  plant  at  an  equal  pace.  The  other 
plant  is  the  Kung  Ye  Hospital  and  Medical  School 
in  Canton.  Here  the  work  is  entirely  financed  by 
the  Chinese,  though  three  foreign  doctors  are  on  the 
staff.  The  main  buildings  of  the  new  hospital  and 


A clinic  in  one  of  the  new  hospitals  maintained  under  Chi- 
nese auspices.  China  is  beginning  to  tackle  seriously  the  problem 
of  training  her  young  people  according  to  the  most  approved 
modern  methods. 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE 


69 


medical  school  situated  in  the  outskirts  of  the  city, 
have  recently  been  opened,  and  the  Chinese  have 
spared  no  money  to  make  them  as  complete  as 
possible.  It  is  an  interesting  commentary  on  con- 
ditions in  China  that  when  the  new  site  was  pur- 
chased, seven  thousand  graves  had  to  be  removed, 
the  management  paying  four  and  a half  dollars  for 
each  one  that  was  identified. 

Enter  the  Chinese  Woman  Doctor 

In  the  old  days  in  China  there  were  large  num- 
bers of  medical  men  but  no  medical  women.  Now 
that  the  Chinese  woman  doctor  has  emerged,  it  is 
surprising  how  eager  young  women  from  the  best 
families  are  to  enter  the  profession.  And  it  is  still 
more  astonishing  that  their  wishes  meet  with  such 
hearty  approval  from  their  parents,  many  of  them 
dyed-in-the-wool  conservatives.  Girls  are  not 
easily  lured  from  their  chosen  work  by  offers  of 
marriage.  A student  who  had  just  returned  from 
America,  and  was  still  unattached,  set  out  to  look 
for  a wife.  He  confided  his  desire  to  a friend.  She 
knew  a doctor,  a sweet  Christian  girl,  who  she 
felt  would  be  just  the  right  helpmeet  for  the  young 
man;  so  she  broached  the  subject  to  her  but  the 
girl  refused  to  consider  it  for  a moment. 

“ I could  not  think  of  giving  up  my  profession,” 
she  protested,  “ and  besides,  if  I wanted  to  do  so 
my  parents  would  be  unwilling.  They  sacrificed 
too  much  to  give  me  my  medical  education.” 


70 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


The  go-between  went  to  another  young  woman 
doctor  with  the  same  question  and  received  sub- 
stantially the  same  answer. 

Chinese  women  doctors,  as  their  numbers  multi- 
ply, are  making  it  increasingly  difficult  for  ignor- 
ant midwives  to  continue  their  dangerous  prac- 
tises. Dr.  Tsao,  head  of  the  Government  Women’s 
Hospital  in  Tientsin,  is  planning  to  give  a course 
of  lectures  to  the  midwives  of  that  city.  The 
Commissioner  of  Police  has  pledged  his  assistance. 

“ The  trouble  is  going  to  be,”  said  Dr.  Tsao,  in 
speaking  of  the  matter  to  me,  “ that  as  midwives 
are  not  required  to  register,  I shall  never  know 
how  many  women  practising  midwifery  have  es- 
caped me.  When  I lived  in  Nanking,  the  Health 
Commissioner  helped  me  open  classes  for  mid- 
wives. Eighty-seven  came,  but  I knew  that  didn’t 
include  all.  I could  not  remember  the  face  of 
each  woman  in  my  classes  but  they  were  familiar 
with  mine.  As  I went  about  the  city  calling  on 
my  patients,  I formed  the  habit  if  I met  a midwife 
of  asking,  ‘Do  you  know  me?’  If  she  answered 
‘No,’  I replied,  ‘Very  well,  I will  have  you  ar- 
rested for  malpractise.  If  you  attended  my  classes 
you  would  know  me.’  In  this  way  I was  able  to 
put  a check  on  a good  many.” 

Chinese  Leadership  in  Plague  Epidemics 

The  Chinese  understand  how  to  deal  with  the 
Chinese  as  no  foreigner  can  ever  hope  to  do.  A 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE 


71 


well-known  woman  doctor  has^a  corps  of  nurses 
who  are  devoted  to  her.  The  one  who  has  been 
with  her  longest  has  full  charge  of  the  operating 
room.  The  doctor  never  gives  it  a thought.  If 
there  is  to  be  an  operation  at  six  o’clock  in  the 
morning,  the  nurse  unbidden  will  rise  at  one  to 
give  herself  ample  time  to  have  everything  in  readi- 
ness. She  hesitates,  at  nothing,  neither  at  scrub- 
bing floors  nor  washing  windows.  It  is  all  a part 
of  the  work.  But  occasionally  a new  nurse  proves 
fractious.  It  may  be  that  a coolie  woman  plastered 
with  dirt  is  brought  in  and  the  new  nurse  is  as- 
signed the  task  of  cleaning  her  up.  She  backs 
away  in  disdain.  That  is  work  fit  only  for  coolies. 

“ All  right,”  says  the  doctor  cheerfully,  and  roll- 
ing up  her  sleeves  sets  to  work  on  the  woman  her- 
self. The  nurse  is  dumbfounded  at  this  unexpected 
turn  of  affairs  and  begs  to  be  allowed  to  relieve  the 
doctor.  No,  she  may  stand  and  look  on  but  can- 
not help.  There  is  never  any  further  trouble  with 
that  nurse. 

A woman  doctor  arrived  one  stormy  night  at  the 
home  of  a patient  in  a distant  village.  The  little 
room  where  the  woman  lay  was  filled  with  loud- 
talking  relatives  and  neighbors.  The  air  was  sti- 
fling. The  doctor  bade  the  crowd  disperse  but  they 
refused  to  stir.  Calling  for  a basin  of  hot  water,  the 
doctor  dipped  in  her  hands  with  the  palms  up,  then 
looked  around  threateningly  at  the  people,  com- 
manded briefly,  “ Go!  ” and  they  went. 


72 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


The  epidemic  of  pneumonic  plague  in  Manchuria 
in  1911  soon  resulted  in  so  many  deaths  that  the 
coffins  of  the  dead  accumulated  too  rapidly  to  bury. 
Indeed,  the  frozen  ground  made  it  impossible  to  dig 
graves.  In  a short  time  there  was  at  Harbin  an 
accumulation  of  four  thousand  coffins  which  be- 
came a menace  to  health.  The  doctors  wished  to 
burn  them  but  the  people  rose  up  in  almost  uncon- 
trollable excitement  at  the  mere  suggestion.  Such 
an  act  in  defiance  of  the  time-honored  custom  of 
burying  the  dead  was  not  to  be  thought  of  for  a 
moment.  The  situation  grew  desperate.  Finally, 
one  of  the  doctors  said,  “ I will  discuss  the  matter 
with  the  crowd.”  Now  there  is  nothing  that  the 
Chinese  enjoy  more  than  a discussion.  It  is  their 
very  meat  and  drink.  Understanding  the  native 
temperament,  this  Chinese  doctor  knew  the  people 
could  be  brought  to  terms  if  reasoned  with,  where 
coercion  would  fail.  So  he  talked  quietly,  explain- 
ing the  danger  and  the  need  of  disposing  of  the 
coffins  quickly.  After  some  argument  a man  spoke 
out  with  conviction, 

“He  is  right!” 

“Yes,”  declared  another,  “what  the  doctor  says 
is  true.  The  coffins  must  be  burned.” 

“Is  it  your  wish  that  the  coffins  be  burned?” 
queried  the  doctor. 

“ It  is,”  was  the  unanimous  response. 

“ Will  you  send  a request  through  the  doctors 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE  73 

to  the  government  at  Peking  to  have  them 
burned?  ” 

“ We  will ! ” 

The  next  day  the  coffins  were  set  up  on  end  in 
rows  of  a hundred  and  burned  in  sight  of  a silent 
but  approving  throng  of  on-lookers. 

During  the  second  scourge  of  plague  in  1917,  a 
Chinese  doctor  in  a Shansi  city  saved  a desperate 
situation  after  a well-meaning  foreigner  had  given 
an  example  of  how  not  to  handle  a Chinese  official 
at  a time  of  crisis.  It  was  imperative  that  the 
gates  of  the  city  be  closed  to  prevent  further 
spread  of  the  scourge.  A foreign  doctor  went  to 
see  the  local  magistrate. 

“ You  must  close  the  city  gates  at  once,”  he  told 
him. 

“ No,  it  can’t  be  done.” 

“Why?” 

“ Trade  cannot  stop.  The  people  have  to  go  in 
and  out  to  market.” 

“ But  do  you  want  every  one  to  die  of  the 
plague?  ” 

The  official  answered  with  a shrug. 

The  harassed  doctor  reached  the  limit  of  en- 
durance. 

“ If  you  do  not  order  the  gates  closed  I will 
report  you  to  Peking  and  have  you  removed  from 
office,”  he  exclaimed  indignantly. 

“ That  will  please  me,”  was  the  cool  rejoinder. 
“ I do  not  like  this  office.  I wish  to  give  it  up.” 


74 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


The  Chinese  doctor  then  took  hold  of  the  case. 
He  called  on  the  magistrate, 

“ What  do  you  want?  ” 

“ Nothing  just  now.  I am  studying  the  situa- 
tion.” The  plague  was  discussed.  Later  in  the 
day  the  doctor  went  again  to  the  yamen. 

“Has  the  plague  stopped?” 

“ No,  it  is  getting  worse.” 

“ Should  the  gates  of  the  city  be  closed?  ” 

“ You  are  the  one  in  authority.  It  is  for  you 
to  decide.” 

“ They  shall  be  shut  at  once ! ” and  the  magis- 
trate was  as  good  as  his  word. 


Reaching  the  Lonely  Places 

The  National  Medical  Association  of  China  was 
organized  in  the  spring  of  1915.  All  of  its  five 
hundred  members,  one  hundred  and  forty  of  them 
being  women,  are  Chinese,  and  graduates  of  medi- 
cal schools  either  in  China,  Japan,  or  the  West. 
The  National  Medical  Association  of  China,  like 
the  China  Medical  Missionary  Association,  holds 
biennial  conferences.  In  1917  the  two  Associations 
met  in  Canton  at  the  same  time  and  during  the  ten 
days  the  conference  lasted  held  a number  of  very 
enjoyable  and  profitable  joint  sessions.  Several  of 
the  best  papers  presented  were  by  women,  and  at  a 
banquet  on  the  evening  before  the  meetings  began, 
the  address  of  welcome  by  a woman  doctor  of 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE  75 

Canton  was  said  to  be  its  most  delightful  feature. 

With  the  number  of  Chinese  doctors  so  rapidly 
on  the  increase,  the  question  naturally  arises, 
“ What  quality  of  work  are  they  doing  and  where 
are  they  locating?” 

The  majority  of  Chinese  doctors  are  doing  faith- 
ful, conscientious  work  and  rendering  a real  service 
to  their  people.  Some  have  given  evidence  of  ex- 
ceptional ability.  I recall  one  who  a short  time  ago 
attended  a foreigner  in  a desperate  case  of  illness 
with  a skill  and  devotion  which  were  beyond 
praise.  • 

As  to  locality,  most  of  the  doctors  in  inde- 
pendent practise  settle  in  the  large  cities  near  the 
coast.  Again  and  again  I have  asked  myself  in 
traveling  over  China,  “ But  what  about  the  great 
interior?  Who  is  going  to  care  for  the  sick  in  the 
country  far  removed  from  the  populous  centers?” 
People  have  said  to  me: 

“ Doctors  cannot  practise  in  the  interior  because 
drugs  are  too  expensive.  The  poor  cannot  pay  for 
them  and  the  doctor  cannot  afford  to  give  them 
away.” 

” The  country  people  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  a foreign-trained  doctor.  Education  along 
this  line  must  be  given  in  the  primary  schools.” 

“ Custom  does  not  permit  young  women  doctors, 
unchaperoned,  to  settle  in  the  country  districts.” 
In  Soochow  and  Kiukiang  the  women  doctors 
and  nurses,  when  the  staff  is  large  enough  to  per- 


76 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


mit  of  it,  take  turns  in  making  trips  into  the  coun- 
try. The  hospital  in  Kiukiang  has  a traveling 
pharmacy,  neat  and  compact,  comprising  a goodly 
assortment  of  drugs,  bandages,  and  surgical  instru- 
ments. A doctor  and  several  nurses  go  to  a 'wide, 
unoccupied  territory,  itinerate  over  it,  stopping 
often  to  hold  clinics,  lecture  on  sanitation  and  home 
hygiene,  and  conduct  evangelistic  services.  Then 
they  settle  down  in  some  convenient  center  for  a 
year  perhaps,  being  relieved  from  time  to  time  by 
fresh  workers  from  Kiukiang.  In  this  way  many 
are  helped  who  are  too  far  away  to  benefit  by  the 
hospital  in  the  city. 

I am  acquainted  with  graduate  doctors  and 
nurses  who  hav,e  married  preachers  with  country 
charges  or  teachers  in  rural  districts  and  when 
bidding  their  city  friends  good-by  have  assured 
them  smilingly,  “We  are  not  giving  up  our  pro- 
fession ; we  are  just  carrying  it  to  a new  field  and 
a new  people,  where,  by  house  to  house  visitation 
and  by  the  example  of  our  own  happy,  sanitary 
home,  we  hope  to  do  our  largest  work.” 


The  Missionary  and  His  Chinese  Staff 

There  are  mission  hospitals  in  the  interior,  it 
is  true,  but  they  are  few  and  scattered  and  the 
country  and  needs  are  great.  It  is  to  their  own 
people  the  Chinese  sick  are  stretching  out  their 
hands,  and  more  and  more  it  is  their  own  who 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE  77 

must  respond  to  the  call,  whether  it  be  in  the  city 
or  in  the  country.  But  the  highest  type  of  service 
means  sacrifice.  Often  we  hear  the  sad  plaint  from 
missionaries,  “ Our  Chinese  doctors  are  going 
away!  Our  Chinese  nurses  are  leaving  us!  We 
educated  them,  we  trained  them,  and  now  just  as 
they  are  fitted  to  be  of  real  help,  they  are  turning 
from  our  doors.” 

“ Why  is  it?  ” we  ask. 

“ Our  mission  salaries  are  small,  and  they  can 
earn  more  in  government  employ  or  independent 
practise.” 

What  are  the  missions  to  do  in  the  face  of  this 
situation?  This  is  a problem  that  the  home 
churches  maintaining  the  missionary  enterprise 
must  face  as  squarely  as  their  missionaries  abroad, 
for  vital  questions  of  financial  support  are  involved. 
We  must  remember  that  prices  have  advanced  in 
China  as  well  as  in  western  lands;  we  must  take 
account  of  the  ways  in  which  the  very  training  of 
these  young  men  and  young  women  in  Christian 
schools  has  tended  to  advance  their  standards  of 
living.  Then,  too,  we  must  consider  that  youth, 
ardent  and  ambitious,  not  unnaturally  wishes  to 
test  its  strength  amid  new  and  untried  conditions. 
Although  the  missionaries  have  often  been  unable 
to  hold  promising  workers,  still  it  is  true  that  many 
a capable  young  Chinese  has  entered  into  the 
blessed  experience  that  furnishes  the  only  final 
solution  to  these  perplexing  questions  concerning 


78 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


the  field  of  their  life-work.  They  have  caught  such 
a vision  of  the  boundless  opportunities  for  self- 
denying  service  which  lie  around  them,  and  are  so 
possessed  and  animated  by  the  spirit  of  the  Master 
that  to  give  and  not  to  get,  to  minister  and  not  to 
be  ministered  unto,  is  their  guiding  principle. 


The  Hospital  as  a Center  of  Christian  Teaching 

The  leading  men  in  a village  in  the  province  of 
Kwangtung,  away  in  the  South,  clubbed  together 
and  subscribed  enough  money  to  pay  the  salary  of 
a resident  woman  doctor.  Then  they  sent  to 
Canton  for  one.  As  the  villagers  were  pledged  to 
protect  her,  it  was  safe  for  a young  woman  to  go. 
But  could  a girl  be  found  ready  to  exchange  the 
pleasures,  advantages,  and  friendships  of  the  city 
for  life  in  a distant  village  among  coarse,  ignorant 
country  folk?  A girl  quickly  volunteered  and  went 
to  the  outpost.  As  she  drew  near  the  village,  the 
people  came  flocking  to  meet  her  with  banners, 
music,  and  firecrackers  to  show  rejoicing.  The  gov- 
ernor himself  could  not  have  been  welcomed  more 
royally.  The  young  doctor  remained  in  her  new 
home  eight  years  and  during  that  time  a hospital, 
a school,  and  a church  were  built,  and  where  for- 
merly there  had  not  been  a Christian,  the  names 
of  one  hundred  members  were  enrolled  on  the 
church  records. 

I am  speaking  of  a little  woman  who,  for  long 


CHINESE  LEADERSHIP  IN  MEDICINE  79 

weeks,  lay  on  a bed  of  suffering  battling  against 
disease  brought  on  by  selfless  outpouring  of  her 
life  in  her  work.  During  her  illness  she  was  at- 
tended by  the  community  physician,  who  in  addi- 
tion did  what  he  could  to  help  the  assistant  doctors 
and  nurses  in  the  compound  hospital.  Later,  when 
his  patient  was  recovering,  he  wrote  her  a letter 
from  which  I venture  to  quote  a few  sentences. 

“ It  is  a great  pleasure  to  me  to  be  greeted  by 
the  smiling  faces  of  your  nurses  and  assistant 
doctors  and  to  receive  such  courteous  treatment 
from  them.  Dr.  K.  gives  an  excellent  anesthetic, 
certainly  far  better  than  the  average  well-trained 
physician  at  home.  Dr.  A.  is  a very  clear-headed, 
conscientious,  and  hard-working  girl,  and  I am 
most  pleased  with  her  work.  I have  told  her  that 
if  she  cares  to  assist  me  in  my  foreign  operative 
work  I shall  be  most  happy  to  have  her  do  so. 
Have  you  any  objection?  I should  pay  her,  of 
course,  the  same  as  I would  any  assistant.  Your 
hospital  is  a real  oasis  in  the  desert.  Without 
exaggeration  I have  never  seen  in  China  a higher 
degree  of  Christian  character  than  is  exhibited  on 
the  faces  of  your  doctors  and  nurses.  The  credit 
is  all  yours.  Whenever  I hear  any  sneers  at  mis- 
sionaries, as  one  does  occasionally  in  the  foreign 
concessions,  my  answer  is,  ‘You  would  change 
your  mind  if  you  went  to  Dr.  Stone’s  hospital.’  ” 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


84 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


health  conditions  affected  outsiders  but  slightly. 
To-day,  with  members  of  the  human  family  every- 
where jostling  each  other,  and  bound  to  mingle 
more  and  more,  the  ills  of  one  nation  become  the 
menace  of  all.  Last  year  the  missionary  doctors 
in  China  treated  more  than  3,200,000  patients,  but 
encouraging  as  these  figures  seem,  what  are  they 
in  a country  with  a population  of  350,000,000  or 
400,000,000? 

The  Gospel  of  Preventive  Medicine 

To  really  solve  the  health  problem  in  China,  the 
time  has  come  when  we  must  make  it  our  business 
to  preach  from  the  housetops,  and  proclaim  in 
trumpet  tones  throughout  the  length  and  breadth 
of  the  land,  the  Gospel  of  Preventive  Medicine  and 
Sanitation  ! Not  that  we  can  afford  to  lay  less  stress 
on  Curative  Medicine,  but  if  a lasting  benefit  is 
to  be  conferred  on  the  Chinese,  we  must  go  deeper 
and  strike  at  the  root  of  the  trouble. 

Let  us  briefly  review  some  of  the  existing  con- 
ditions which  militate  against  life  and  health. 
Scarcely  a city  or  town  in  China  can  boast  a sewer 
system.  History  records  that  three  thousand 
years  ago  drains  were  in  use,  and  that  an  ancient 
“ Worthy  ” wrote  a book  on  health  in  which  he 
claimed  that  physical  well-being  depended  on 
obeying  two  comprehensive  laws, — restraint  of  the 
appetites  and  cleanliness  in  house  and  person. 


Boatd  of  Foreign  Missions,  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


A pin  of  the  travelmg  health  exhibit  which  has  been  used  all 
over  the  country  to  show  the  people  how  to  check  the  scourges 
of  disease.  Seventy-five  per  cent,  of  deaths  in  China  are  pre- 
ventable. 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


8S 


Alas,  these  laws,  so  far  as  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
common  people  are  concerned,  have  long  since 
been  a dead  letter.  The  universal  custom  of  drink- 
ing boiled  tea  is  the  salvation  of  the  nation.  Still, 
many  die  annually  of  cholera,  dysentery,  and  ty- 
phoid fever  from  using  the  water  in  contaminated 
wells  and  canals.  A once  large  and  prosperous 
vilLge  in  the  south  has  become  practically  extinct 
because  of  a leaky  well  near  which  the  germ-in- 
fected clothing  of  the  sick  was  habitually  washed. 
I have  seen  women  cleaning  vegetables — some  of 
them,  like  lettuce,  to  be  eaten  uncooked — in  stag- 
nant water  covered  with  a thick,  green  scum. 

The  houses,  even  of  the  rich,  are  too  often  dark, 
damp,  and  close.  Many  are  without  windows,  but 
whether  windows  are  present  or  not,  fresh  air  is 
shut  out  at  night.  The  inmates  huddle  together 
in  small  rooms;  a mother,  suffering  from  tubercu- 
losis it  may  be,  sleeping  with  several  young  chil- 
dren. Those  suffering  from  contagious  diseases 
are  allowed  to  mingle  freely  with  the  rest  of  the 
family.  Even  in  so  well-ordered  a community  as 
the  International  Settlement  in  Shanghai,  small- 
pox patients  continually  elude  the  health  officers; 
ride  in  the  public  rickshas;  beg  on  the  crowded 
streets,  and  sell  foodstuffs  in  the  markets. 

Rats,  that  with  difficulty  are  excluded  from  the 
most  carefully  kept  homes,  overrun  the  premises  of 
the  poor.  And  rats  bring  plague.  At  one  time 
during  a scourge  of  the  bubonic  plague  in  Canton, 


86 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


the  city  government  paid  six  cents  for  every  rat 
brought  to  police  headquarters.  Diseased  animals 
and  also  dead  ones,  no  matter  what  the  cause  of 
death  may  have  been,  are  consumed  greedily  by 
the  poor. 


Fear  of  the  Deadly  Bath 

To  most  of  the  uneducated  Chinese  the  idea  of 
a bath  is  a fearful  thing.  “ Why  don’t  you  wash 
your  child?”  I asked  a village  woman  on  a hot 
summer  day.  ■ She  glanced  apprehensively  at  the 
small,  nude  figure,  caked  with  dirt,  and  replied 
with  an  emphatic  shake  of  the  head,  “ Oh,  he 
would  die  if  I washed  him,”  A woman  who  had 
just  arrived  at  a hospital  was  told  she  must  have 
a bath.  “No,  no!”  she  cried  in  alarm,  “I  have 
lived  sixty  years  without  a bath  and  I shall  not 
begin  now.”  She  left  the  hospital  rather  than 
yield.  The  poor  creature  had  probably  followed 
the  usual  custom  of  occasionally  lifting  up  her 
padded  garments  and  wiping  off  her  skin  with  a 
damp  cloth. 

The  ignorance  of  many  mothers  regarding  the 
care  of  their  offspring  is  pathetic.  “ I don’t  see 
why  my  baby  took  sick,”  wept  a young  mother 
whose  infant  son  had  just  died.  “We  were  so  care- 
ful of  him  and  the  trousers  he  was  wrapped  in 
were  a hundred  and  fifty  years  old  I ” This  was  in 
the  South  where  often  the  swaddling  clothes  of 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


87 


new-born  babes  are  garments  once  worn  by  adults 
and  kept  in  the  family  as  heirlooms.  They  are 
probably  unwashed  and  filled  with  disease  germs. 
Mothers  of  nursing  babies  have  a common  habit  of 
taking  into  their  own  mouths  cooked  rice  or  other 
soft  food,  chewing  it  until  it  is  mushy,  then  shoving 
it  with  the  tongue  into  the  child’s  mouth.  Many 
babies  die  of  tuberculosis  contracted  in  this  way. 
Very  young  children  are  fed  all  sorts  of  indigesti- 
ble food,  watermelon,  cucumbers,  raw  turnips,  salt 
pork,  and  so  forth,  with  the  result  that  where  death 
does  not  follow  in  summer  from  dysentery  or 
cholera,  they  commonly  break  out  with  ugly  boils 
and  ulcers,  especially  about  the  head  and  face. 
Scalp  diseases  and  the  consequent  loss  of  hair  are 
primarily  due  to  the  barber’s  use  of  an  infected 
razor  to  shave  the  child’s  head.  Neglect  of  chil- 
dren having  trachoma  or  smallpox  has  led  to  a fear- 
ful amount  of  blindness. 


What  the  Sanitation  Expert  Faces 

The  cheap  tea  and  lodging  houses  patronized  by 
the  coolie  class  are  favorite  breeding  places  for 
germs  of  all  descriptions.  The  habit  of  careless 
expectoration  both  indoors  and  out  makes  the 
Chinese  an  easy  prey  to  their  national  Nemesis, 
tuberculosis.  Food  and  meat  shops,  fruit-stalls 
and  markets  are  centers  of  infection.  The  food- 
shojJs,  whose  entire  front  opens  on  the  street,  are 


j 


88 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


presided  over  by  cooks  whose  person  and  habits 
are  far  from  neat.  One  in  Hinghwa  was  discovered 
to  be  a leper.  As  fast  as  the  food  is  cooked  it  is 
laid  out  uncovered  in  close  proximity  to  the  passer- 
by, where  it  soon  becomes  well  sprinkled  with 
germ-laden  dust,  and  is  freely  handled  by  would- 
be  purchasers,  who  turn  it  over  piece  by  piece  till 
they  find  a bit  to  their  liking. 

Fruit,  to  make  it  more  tempting,  is  often  cut 
open,  where  it  soon  turns  brown  from  decay  and 
the  dust  that  rises  from  the  much-traveled  street. 
Flies  constitute  one  of  China’s  gravest  perils.  In 
warm  weather  the  meat  shops  are  black  with  them. 
Mosquitoes  rise  in  swarms  from  stagnant  water  in 
ponds  and  ditches,  making  malaria  a curse  of  the 
country.  The  streets  of  many  cities  are  so  narrow 
that  rickshas  or  sedan-chairs  going  in  opposite 
directions  can  pass  only  with  difficulty,  and  are 
usually  wet  and  slippery  from  the  water  spilled  out 
of  overfull  buckets.  Healthgiving  sunshine  seldom 
filters  down  into  these  streets,  which  are  roofed  in 
summer  with  bamboo  mats,  and  none  penetrates  to 
the  rooms  back  of  the  shops  where  the  families 
sleep.  But  there  is  no  need  to  continue  this  recital. 
Enough  has  been  said  to  show  how  many  and 
serious  are  the  dangers  that  threaten  the  Chinese 
from  the  cradle  to  the  grave.  The  paramount  con- 
sideration is,  what  is  being  done  to  insure  a higher 
standard  of  health  and  to  avert  the  menace  of 
pestilence  that  always  confronts  China? 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


89 


Cleaning  up  the  Cities 

The  growing  interest  of  the  Chinese  in  all  mat- 
ters relating  to  public  health  is  most  encouraging. 
After  the  Boxer  Rebellion  and  particularly  follow- 
ing the  Revolution,  city  walls  began  to  come  down. 
It  seems  a pity  to  destroy  these  ancient  landmarks, 
yet  in  some  places  it  is  the  only  way  that  streets 
can  be  widened;  foul  moats  filled  in,  and  houses 
that  have  become  rat-holes  and  breeding  places  for 
disease  demolished. 

In  Shanghai,  on  the  fine  road  built  over  the  old 
moat,  an  electric  car  line  runs.  The  district  form- 
erly known  as  the  Manchu  City  in  Hangchow, 
since  it  was  destroyed  in  1911,  has  changed  from  a 
dirty,  crowded,  unsanitary  city,  to  a beautiful 
modern  one,  with  wide  avenues,  and  sightly  build- 
ings. Most  of  the  Chinese  section  of  the  city  of 
Hankow  was  destroyed  by  fire  during  the  Revolu- 
tion. The  government  afterward  engaged  a for- 
eign architect  to  draw  plans  for  a modern,  model 
city.  Much  money  was  spent,  and  the  architect 
remained  three  years  on  the  ground,  but  in  the 
end,  unfortunately,  nothing  came  of  it,  for  the 
people  went  ahead  and  rebuilt  the  city  as  it  was 
originally.  Chengtu  in  Western  Szechuan,  has  the 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  cleanest  cities  in 
China.  Wheelbarrows  gather  up  the  refuse  each 
morning  and  the  city  employs  beggars  to  keep  the 
streets  clean. 


90 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


In  Kaifeng,  the  capital  of  Honan,  a Public  Health 
Association  was  organized  in  1916  composed  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  city.  The  Association  has  gone 
actively  to  work  removing  refuse,  sprinkling  the 
streets  with  uncontaminated  water,  disposing  of 
unburied  and  rotting  coffins,  and  disseminating 
health  literature.  Peking  has  so  changed  that 
those  who  knew  the  city  before  1900  but  have  not 
seen  it  in  the  interim  would  hardly  recognize  it. 
In  Canton  the  city  wall  is  about  to  be  torn  down, 
and  where  the  old  yanien  stood,  a public  park  is 
to  be  laid  out.  Several  years  ago  an  enlightened 
official  undertook  to  clean  up  the  streets  of  Canton, 
but  not  satisfied  with  that,  removed  the  gambling 
tables  that  stood  outside  the  shops  and  closed  the 
brothels,  saying  all  were  a disgrace  to  the  city.  He 
soon  found,  however,  that  the  way  of  the  reformer, 
like  that  of  the  transgressor,  is  hard.  He  was  in- 
vited one  day  to  the  city  magistrate’s  residence, 
regaled  with  a fine  dinner,  then  taken  out  and  shot. 
That  was  his  reward.  Some  cities,  one  being  Nan- 
king, rejoice  in  a Board  of  Public  Health  and  a 
regularly  appointed  Health  Commissioner. 


Modern  Science  and  New  Table  Manners  vs.  Disease 

At  the  close  of  the  plague  epidemic  in  1911,  an 
International  Commission  met  in  Harbin  to  study 
the  cause  of  the  plague  and  its  prevention.  The 
result  of  this  effort  was  the  organization  of  the 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


91 


North  Manchurian  Plague  Prevention  Service  with 
Dr.  Wu  Lien  Teh  as  its  president.  The  Chinese 
government  provided  means  to  open  a plague  hos- 
pital in  Harbin  with  branches  in  other  cities,  and  to 
establish  plague  hospitals  in  connection  with  the 
railway  stations.  This  was  the  first  time  the  gov- 
ernment had  taken  any  serious  part  in  the  work  of 
preventive  medicine.  The  plague  hospitals  are  fully 
staffed  and  equipped,  ready  for  use  on  short  notice. 
When  not  needed  for  plague  patients  they  are  used 
as  general  hospitals. 

The  influential  body  of  returned  students  consti- 
tutes a powerful  factor  in  promoting  public  health 
education.  The  numerous  examples  they  furnish 
of  neat,  sanitary,  well-ordered  homes  are  their  larg- 
est contribution,  but  they  do  not  neglect  precept. 
Often  a Chinese  friend  sitting  next  to  me  at  a 
public  dinner  has  whispered  warningly,  “ Don’t 
wipe  your  mouth  with  that  napkin  “ It  isn’t  safe 
to  drink  from  that  cup”;  “I  wouldn’t  touch  the 
lettuce — you  do  not  know  where  it  has  been 
grown,”  and  so  on. 

Dr.  Wu  Lien  Teh  has  invented  a sanitary  brass 
platter  that  he  wishes  might  come  into  general 
use.  The  platter  is  large  enough  to  hold  five  bowls 
and  rests  on  a revolving  standard  in  the  center  of 
the  dining  table,  so  that  the  food  can  be  easily 
reached  by  all.  Each  bowl  is  provided  with  chop- 
sticks and  spoon  which  makes  it  unnecessary  to  put 
the  individual  chopsticks  into  the  common  dish.  In 


92 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


many  of  the  homes  of  the  educated  classes,  indi- 
vidual chopsticks  are  no  longer  used  to  take  food 
from  the  common  bowls. 


Enlisting  the  'Students  in  the  Health  Campaign 

Missionaries  have  set  to  work  in  right  good  earn- 
est to  stress  public  health  education.  In  mission 
schools,  from  the  university  down  to  the  little  day- 
schools,  sanitation  and  home  hygiene  are  being 
increasingly  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  stu- 
dents by  means  of  lectures,  practical  demonstra- 
tion, and  to  some  extent  through  text-books.  It  is 
hoped  that  soon  the  conservation  of  public  health 
will  be  made  a regular  branch  of  study  in  every 
school. 

A missionary  of  the  American  Episcopal  Board 
has  introduced  into  her  group  of  country  day- 
schools  a simplified  form  of  Camp  Fire  and  Blue 
Bird  Societies.  The  Blue  Birds  receive  a red  bead 
if  for  a month  they  take  deep  breathing  exercises 
every  day;  cover  food  to  keep  flies  off;  refrain  from 
spitting  on  the  floor  and  ground,  and  so  on  through 
seventeen  subjects.  Camp  Fire  girls,  among  other 
useful  things,  are  taught  how  to  prevent  the  spread 
of  malaria,  smallpox,  and  tuberculosis.  In  one 
school  the  pupils  have  adopted  a poor  child.  Its 
clothes  are  made  entirely  by  the  girls,  and  the 
older  ones  are  instructed  how  to  bathe  and  dress 
the  child  in  the  most  approved  way. 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


93 


A doctor  in  Central  China  bought  land  for  a 
hospital,  and  when  some  of  the  smaller  buildings 
were  already  up,  he  sold  the  property  for  another 
site  near  a mission  college.  He  realized  that  while 
his  hospital  was  needed,  yet  his  largest  contribu- 
tion to  China  would  be  the  practical  knowledge  he 
could  impart  to  the  students  with  respect  to  pre- 
ventive medicine,  sanitation,  and  hygiene.  In  one 
of  his  lectures  to  the  students  he  asked  them  to 
draw  a map  of  a model  sanitary  city.  One  boy 
became  so  interested  that  he  did  not  stop  with  one 
but  handed  in  four! 

The  civil  governor  of  Changsha,  the  capital  of 
Hunan,  has  recently  built  some  fine  roads  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  the  city.  As  he  is  an  unusually  prog^ressive 
man,  it  is  hoped  that  he  may  be  induced  to  build 
small,  sanitary  houses  along  these  roads,  and  rent 
them  reasonably  to  poor  families  from  the  con- 
gested districts  of  Changsha,  The  vacated  houses 
could  then  be  pulled  down,  and  others,  sanitary 
and  rat-proof,  could  be  erected  in  their  stead,  thus 
gradually  reconstructing  the  entire  city.  Public 
health  education  would  naturally  go  hand  in  hand 
with  civic  improvements. 


Making  Health  Education  Popular 

Dr.  W.  W.  Peter,  a secretary  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Christian  Association,  who  came  to  China  in  1911, 
gave  the  initial  impulse  to  public  health  education 


94 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


on  a large  scale.  Knowing  it  to  be  a scientific  fact 
that  eighty-five  per  cent,  of  all  knowledge  is  gained 
through  the  eye,  and  only  fifteen  per  cent,  through 
the  ear,  nose,  finger,  and  tongue  senses  combined, 
he  set  his  ingenious  brain  to  work  devising  all  kinds 
of  apparatus  which  could  be  used  with  effect  in 
giving  object  lessons.  He  finally  amassed  two  and 
a half  tons  of  stage  properties  and  wall  exhibits, 
and  with  these  and  two  trained  Chinese  assistants, 
he  set  out  to  visit  the  principal  cities  in  China, 
traveling  in  all  22,000  miles.  He  prepared  a lec- 
ture on  the  theme,  “ The  Relation  of  National 
Health  to  National  Strength.”  In  it  he  states 
that  although  China,  because  of  her  pristine 
greatness,  should  stand  in  the  front  rank,  she  is  in 
reality  a backward  nation.  And  why  has  she  fallen 
behind?  Largely  because  of  reduced  efficiency 
owing  to  poor  health. 

Sometimes  while  Dr.  Peter  was  giving  his  lec- 
ture, his  conclusions  were  challenged,  as  when  once 
a man  in  the  audience  rose  and  said  that  he  did 
not  believe  preservation  of  life  in  China  was  desir- 
able. The  struggle  for  existence  was  too  keen  and 
the  country  overpopulated.  To  this  Dr.  Peter  re- 
plied that  in  Shantung,  the  most  densely  popu- 
lated province  in  China,  there  were  not  so  many 
people  to  the  square  mile  as  in  Belgium.  This 
statement  was  received  with  great  astonishment. 

The  differences  in  the  two  countries  are  readily 
apparent.  Belgium  is  one  of  the  most  highly  organ- 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


9S 


ized  industrial  countries;  China  is  distinctly  agri- 
cultural. But  in  considering  the  struggle  for  exist- 
ence, is  China  not  able  to  sustain  a great  industrial 
development?  Does  she  not  have  the  natural  re- 
sources for  it?  Are  her  people  not  suited  for  indus- 
trial enterprises?  Will  not  a higher  standard  of 
public  health  make  it  possible  for  the  nation  to 
support  even  a greater  population  under  vastly 
improved  economic  conditions? 

Dr.  Peter  had  a lecture  for  women  on  “ The  Care 
of  the  Baby,”  which  was  given  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Association. 
During  this  lecture  a living  baby  was  washed  and 
dressed  on  the  platform  in  sight  of  all  present.  In 
a northern  city  where  the  lecture  was  repeated  four 
times  in  a single  day,  the  idea  got  abroad  that  the 
same  baby  was  bathed  on  each  occasion.  To  bathe 
a baby  once  a day  in  China  is  bad  enough,  but  four 
times!  The  people  were  filled  with  consternation, 
and  it  was  not  until  a month  later,  when  the  local 
Chinese  press,  in  all  seriousness,  reported  that  the 
babies  bathed  at  Dr.  Peter’s  lectures  were  still 
living  that  the  popular  mind  was  calmed. 

'A  National  Joint  Council  on  Public  Health 

Dr.  Peter’s  campaign  called  out  thousands  to  see 
his  exhibits  and  listen  to  his  lectures.  The  appeal 
was  to  the  educated  classes,  officials,  gentry,  and 
students.  Some  did  not  understand,  and  took  the 


96  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

demonstrations  to  be  a series  of  jugglers’  tricks. 
But  much  genuine  and  las.ting  good  was  done.  At 
the  close  of  the  campaign  in  Peking,  sixteen  of  the 
leading  men  of  the  country  met  as  a committee  to 
discuss  ways  and  means  of  promoting  public  health 
education  in  China. 

As  a result  of  the  interest  awakened  by  the  cam- 
paign, three  organizations,  the  Young  Men’s  Chris- 
tian Association,  the  China  Medical  Missionary 
Association,  and  the  National  Medical  Association 
of  China  united  to  form  the  Joint  Council  on  Pub- 
lic Health.  Dr.  S.  M.  Woo,  a graduate  of  Johns 
Hopkins  Medical  School  and  of  the  Health  Depart- 
ment of  Harvard  University,  was  called  back  to 
China  as  Dr.  Peter’s  colleague.  From  his  office  in 
Shanghai,  Dr.  Woo  is  fairly  flooding  the  country 
with  literature  on  public  health.  His  pamphlets, 
written  in  a clear,  convincing  style,  are  on  such 
topics  as  “ Home  Sanitation,”  “ Tuberculosis,” 
“ Prevention  of  Infection,”  “ Infant  Hygiene,”  and 
so  forth.  With  the  reverence  the  Chinese  feel 
for  the  printed  page,  these  tracts  are  not  likely  to 
be  thrown  away  but  read  and  pondered. 

An  important  development  of  great  significance 
to  the  medical  profession  in  China  has  recently 
come  about  through  the  efforts  of  the  two  medical 
and  pharmaceutical  associations, — the  evolving  of 
a uniform  medical  terminology.  Lack  of  such  a 
standard  has  greatly  impeded  medical  work.  Its 
preparation  required  three  years  of  hard  work.  It 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


97 


has  now  been  submitted  to  the  Minister  of  Educa- 
tion and  accepted.  This  is  a great  victory  and  was 
won  after  the  government  under  the  Manchus  had 
spent  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  in  a vain 
effort  to  reach  the  same  result. 


The  White  Plague  in  China 

Excepting  epidemics,  probably  no  disease  known 
in  China  annually  exacts  such  a toll  from  the  peo- 
ple as  tuberculosis.  Every  thirty-seven  seconds 
there  is  a death  from  it.  There  are  many  reasons 
for  the  prevalence  of  this  scourge,  but  without 
doubt  one  of  the  chief  causes  is  lack  of  proper 
physical  exercise.  Hard-working  coolies  are  usu- 
ally strong  and  healthy,  but  many  from  the  gentry 
and  student  classes,  who  spend  long  hours  in 
unventilated  rooms  bending  over  their  work,  grow 
every  day  more  hollow-chested  and  stoop-shoul- 
dered. Old-time  custom  frowned  on  an  erect 
carriage.  If  a girl  walked  briskly  with  chest 
expanded  and  shoulders  thrown  back,  she  was 
bold.  If  a man  did  it  he  was  no  scholar.  A mis- 
sionary, at  whose  home  I was  visiting,  burst  into  my 
room  one  morning  with  the  cry,  “ Oh,  what  shall 
I do!  Two  more  of  my  loveliest  girls  have  spit 
blood.  It  looks  as  if  the  whole  school  was  going 
into  consumption.  Can’t  you  give  them  some  exer- 
cises in  deep  breathing?  We  must  do  something  to 
save  them ! ” 


98  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

The  Young  Men’s  Christian  Association  and  the 
Young  Women’s  Christian  Association  have  made 
scientific  physical  training  a special  feature  of  their 
work.  Each  organization  has  opened  a National 
School  of  Physical  Education  in  Shanghai,  Both 
schools  have  met  with  a success  exceeding  expecta- 
tion; students  have  come  from  many  provinces  and 
from  government  as  well  as  mission  schools.  The 
course  extends  over  two  years. 

“ It  is  wonderful  what  a change  this  physical 
work  makes  in  the  girls,”  said  one  of  the  foreign 
secretaries  of  the  Young  Women’s  Christian  Asso- 
ciation to  me.  “ When  the  new  students  enter  they 
are  stiff,  sober,  and  distant.  It  is  the  hardest  work 
at  first  to  get  them  to  unbend  the  least  little  bit. 
But  gradually  they  catch  the  spirit  of  play  and 
exercise,  and  not  only  does  their  health  improve, 
but  the  very  expressions  of  their  faces  alter.  They 
become  responsive  and  animated.” 

“ The  girls  have  certainly  learned  how  to  laugh,” 
I remarked  as  the  ring  of  happy  voices  broke  in  on 
our  conversation  from  the  adjoining  gymnasium, 

“ Did  you  ever  see  them  at  a game  of  tennis?  ” 
asked  the  secretary. 

“You  forget  that  I lived  for  a few  weeks  next 
door  to  your  tennis  court!  ” I said. 

Then  I recalled  with  amusement  what  a mission- 
ary in  another  city  had  told  me  about  her  girls’ 
initial  effort  at  basket-ball.  They  felt  it  was  dis- 
courteous to  outstrip  a playmate  who  was  running 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


99 


after  the  ball,  and  if  during  the  game  a girl  chanced 
to  jostle  another  she  stopped  to  say  very  politely, 
“Please  excuse  me!” 

A short  time  ago  the  physical  work  of  the  Young 
Men’s  Christian  Association  was  entirely  under 
the  direction  of  foreign  secretaries.  Now,  in  some 
of  the  large  cities  it  is  in  the  hands  of  Chinese  secre- 
taries who  are  carrying  it  forward  in  a way  that 
delights  those  who  trained  them.  Men  of  all  ages 
are  attracted  to  the  gymnasium.  The  members 
of  the  business  men’s  classes  are  frequently  among 
the  most  enthusiastic;  a sixty-year  old  gentleman 
in  Canton  never  fails  to  be  present  no  matter  what 
the  weather. 


Good  Sportsmen  Mean  Better  Citizens 

Much  is  now  made  of  athletics,  and  the  popu- 
larity they  have  acquired  is  almost  unbelievable 
when  we  consider  that  the  country  we  are  talking 
about  is  China.  A most  salutary  lesson  which 
athletics  are  teaching  is  good  sportsmanship.  It 
sometimes  comes  a little  hard.  During  a foot- 
ball game  in  an  interior  city  recently,  800  boys 
sullenly  walked  off  the  field  in  spite  of  protests, 
because,  forsooth,  the  other  side  was  winning. 
But  such  exhibitions  of  bad  temper  are  not  often 
witnessed.  A good  sport  in  a field  game  will  make 
a good  sport  later  in  the  game  of  politics,  and  China 
has'sore  need  of  men  with  the  sportsman  spirit. 


100 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


The  second  Far  Eastern  Championship  Games 
were  held  in  China  in  the  spring  of  1915,  and  will 
come  to  China  again  in  1921  or  1923.  Physical 
education  is  now  a definite  part  of  the  government 
course  of  study,  beginning  with  the  primary  school, 
and  is  receiving  marked  attention  in  government, 
private,  and  mission  schools. 


Fighting  the  Real  Chinese  'Dragon 

Closely  related  to  this  subject  of  prevention  of 
disease  is  the  opium  problem.  In  April,  1917,  we 
supposed  the  victory  had  been  won  and  that  after 
the  long  wait  and  bitter  fight,  the  drug  was  for- 
ever banished  from  China.  But  just  then,  to  our 
dismay,  the  hydra-headed  monster  showed  itself 
once  more.  Fifteen  hundred  chests  of  opium  had 
for  six  or  seven  years  been  stored  in  Shanghai,  for 
which  the  foreign  merchants  who  imported  it  de- 
manded payment.  The  government  bought  the 
opium,  but,  instead  of  burning  it  as  most  people 
confidently  expected  would  be  done,  300  chests 
were  sold  to  a Chinese  syndicate  and  the  sale 
of  opium  was  legalized  in  three  provinces.  It  was 
only  a short  time  before  in  many  a province  poppy 
fields  bloomed  again,  and  the  smell  of  opium  smoke 
began  once  more  to  offend  our  nostrils. 

The  shameful  story  need  not  be  repeated  in 
detail.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  all  over  China  the  best 
Chinese  lifted  up  their  voices  in  righteous  indigna- 


1 lie  burning  of  twelve  million  dollars’  worth  of  opium,  bought  for  this  purpose  by  the  Chi- 
nese government,  made  January  17,  1919,  a red  letter  day  in  the  history  of  the  Republic. 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE 


lOI 


tion  against  this  breach  of  their  country’s  faith. 
Mass  meetings  were  held,  and  proclamations  issued. 
Memorials  rained  into  Peking.  Foreign  Powers 
also  sent  their  protests.  Such  pressure  was  brought 
to  bear  on  the  government  that  President  Hsu 
Shih  Chang  finally  ordered  the  remaining  1,200 
chests  in  Shanghai  to  be  publicly  burned.  The 
Vice-Minister  of  Justice  was  despatched  from 
Peking  to  supervise  not  only  the  burning  of  the 
opium,  but  prior  to  that,  an  examination  of  the 
opium  chests  to  make  sure  that  they  had  not  been 
tampered  with,  and  that  what  was  burned  later 
could  be  relied  upon  as  being  the  genuine  article. 
Twenty-one  organizations,  patriotic  and  religious, 
united  in  sending  a request  to  Peking  that  they  be 
allowed  to  have  representatives  present  at  both  the 
examination  and  the  burning  of  the  opium.  The 
request  was  granted. 


A Twelve-Million-Dollar  Bonfire 

On  the  8th  of  January,  1919,  the  examination 
of  the  opium  began  in  a large  warehouse  where 
600  chests  had  been  stored.  Admittance  was 
by  ticket  and  only  those  got  inside  who  had  good 
reason  to  be  there.  On  a platform  close  to  the 
place  where  the  boxes  were  opened  sat  the  govern- 
ment representative.  At  the  other  end  of  the  plat- 
form was  a small  laboratory  where  expert  chemists, 
British,  French,  and  Chinese,  were  kept  busily 


102 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


making  tests.  Each  chest  of  Patna  opium  con- 
tained forty  balls,  and  the  present  market  price  of 
each  ball  is  $500  in  gold,  making  the  value  of  a 
chest  $20,000.  The  balls  were  about  the  size  of  a 
cocoanut. 

Customs  officials  presided  over  the  opening  of 
each  box.  The  balls  were  taken  out  and  counted 
in  the  presence  of  the  witnesses.  Any  one  could 
order  a ball  cut  in  two.  Many  were  opened  and 
their  contents  examined.  If  there  was  any  ques- 
tion about  the  stuff  being  opium  it  was  put  to  a 
chemical  test.  A few  balls  had  been  tampered  with, 
and  one  box  -was  found  to  contain  coal  instead  of 
opium;  but,  considering  the  quantity,  the  leakage 
was  very  slight.  After  the  contents  of  each  box 
had  been  examined,  the  balls  were  returned  to  it 
and  the  box  sealed  with  two  seals,  the  seals  being 
given  at  night  into  the  custody  of  two  foreigners. 

At  the  end  of  eight  days,  the  first  600  boxes  of 
opium  had  been  examined  and  were  ready  to  be 
burned.  On  the  bank  of  the  Whangpoo  River 
opposite  Shanghai,  the  government  erected  four 
kilns  at  a cost  of  $900  each.  At  exactly  nine 
o’clock  on  the  day  selected  for  the  ceremony,  two 
launches  carrying  about  one  hundred  people  left 
Shanghai  for  Pootung  where  the  burning  was  to 
take  place.  After  several  days  of  rain  the  air  was 
clear  and  bracing  as  was  eminently  fitting,  for 
January  17,  1919,  will  always  be  a red  letter  day 
in  the  history  of  China. 


PREVENTION  BETTER  THAN  CURE  103 

The  American  Consul-General  of  Shanghai,  Mr. 
Thomas  Sammons,  threw  one  of  the  first  balls 
into  the  fire.  To  see  600  of  them  burning  at 
once  with  at  least  a dim  realization  of  what  the 
moral  effect  of  this  conflagration  will  be  in  China, 
was  a sight  to  stir  the  feelings  of  even  the  most 
phlegmatic.  Twenty-five  or  thirty  chests  of  opium 
were  consumed  daily  in  each  kiln. 


Organizing  to  Fight  the  Drug  TraFhc 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  set  for  the  burning 
of  the  opium,  a meeting  of  the  Young  Men’s  Chris- 
tian Association  was  held  in  Martyrs’  Memoral  Hall 
to  organize  an  International  Anti-Opium  Associa- 
tion. There  have  been  similar  gatherings  recently 
in  Peking  and  Tientsin  and  it  is  hoped  that  Interna- 
tional Anti-Opium  Associations  will  be  formed  all 
over  China.  The  Association  is  Anti-Morphine  as 
well  as  Anti-Opium,  for  although  morphine  is  a 
contraband  article,  it  is  smuggled  into  the  country 
in  vast  quantities,  and  because  it  acts  more  quickly 
and  is  more  deadly  in  its  effect,  it  threatens  to  be 
even  more  of  a curse  than  opium. 

During  these  last  days  in  Shanghai  some  really 
good  people  have  sighed  regretfully  because  so 
much  opium  that  might  be  used  medicinally  was  to 
be  wasted.  But  since  doctors  agree  that  a bottle 
of  morphine  containing  a few  ounces  will  last  a 
hospital  treating  several  thousand  patients  annu- 


104  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

ally  for  a number  of  years,  it  is  evident  that  the 
opium  now  in  stock  could  not  be  disposed  of  as  a 
medicine  in  a millennium.  A considerable  amount 
of  confiscated  opium,  morphine,  and  cocaine  that 
had  been  smuggled  into  China  has  been  handed 
over  to  the  Allied  Consul-Generals  for  the  use  of 
the  Allied  Red  Cross  and  military  hospitals. 

While  the  opium  has  been  burned  in  Shanghai, 
it  is  a sorrowful  fact  that  in  several  of  the  provinces 
there  is  a revival  of  opium  growing.  In  Fukien 
province  farmers  are  seen  uprooting  their  half- 
matured  potato  plants  and  sowing  the  seed  of  the 
poppy  in  their  places.  Since  opium  brings  forty 
times  as  much  in  price  as  any  other  crop,  the 
farmers,  in  their  ignorance  and  poverty,  must  not 
be  blamed  too  much.  But  the  situation  has  become 
desperate,  and  Chinese  and  foreigners  are  joining 
hands  in  a solemn  pledge  to  use  their  utmost  power 
and  influence  to  free  China  from  the  evils  of  opium, 
morphine,  and  kindred  drugs. 

The  British  Commissioner  of  Customs  reports 
that  during  the  years  from  1900  to  1916,  China 
must  have  spent  $1,200,000,000  on  imported  opium. 
The  amount  of  money  squandered  on  the  native 
drug  cannot  be  estimated. 


V 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES 


CHAPTER  V 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES 

The  conservation  of  human  life  is  not  a subject 
that  can  be  limited  to  a study  of  medical  education, 
sanitation,  and  plague  campaigns.  In  China,  as  in 
all  other  lands,  the  saving  of  life,  and  the  enriching 
of  the  life  that  is  saved,  cannot  be  considered  apart 
from  such  fundamental  matters  as  the  provision  of 
safeguards  against  natural  disasters  and  as  the 
economic  and  industrial  conditions  that  are  of  such 
prime  importance  in  determining  the  welfare  of 
the  nation. 

In  approaching  the  study  of  this  larger  field,  we 
may  well  consider,  first,  the  whole  group  of  prob- 
lems presented  by  the  devasting  floods  that  sweep 
over  China  with  terrible  frequency  and  the  famine 
and  disease  consequent  upon  them. 


A Big  Job  for  the  Chinese  Red  Cross 

The  North  China  flood  of  1917  will  go  down  in 
history  as  one  of  the  most  disastrous  that  ever 
visited  this  country.  It  affected  particularly  the 
eastern  and  southern  portion  of  the  province  of 
Chihli.  I reached  Tientsin  one  September  morn- 


107 


io8  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

ing  from  Peking  expecting  to  go  on  South  by  train 
in  a day  or  two.  Instead,  I was  shut  up  in  the  city 
for  ten  days,  and  when  I did  leave,  it  was  not  by 
train  but  by  steamer  down  the  coast.  The  water 
rose  alarmingly  fast.  One  evening  I mailed  a let- 
ter in  a certain  post-box.  The  next  morning  I 
could  not  get  within  a block  of  it.  At  eleven  o’clock 
one  forenoon  I watched  men  wading  through  a 
flooded  street  carrying  other  men,  less  robust,  on 
their  backs.  That  afternoon  at  four  o’clock  the 
water  had  crept  a block  and  a half  nearer. 

Day  after  day  I tried  to  get  to  my  mission  com- 
pound. When  I did  finally  go  it  was  in  a Chinese 
boat  over  a wide  expanse  of  sea  in  which  broken 
furniture,  coffins,  and  refuse  floated  about.  Roofs 
of  Chinese  houses  that  had  not  yet  collapsed  pro- 
truded here  and  there  out  of  the  water.  On  some 
of  them  whole  families  were  camping,  though  in 
imminent  danger  of  a watery  grave  as  soon  as  the 
weakening  walls  gave  way. 

Coolies  worked  desperately,  throwing  up  dykes 
to  save,  if  possible,  the  still  unflooded  districts. 
Doorways  and  lower  story  windows  were  protected 
by  embankments  of  brick  and  earth.  The  streets 
were  thronged.  In  rickshas,  carts,  on  foot,  in  car- 
riages and  automobiles,  the  people  streamed  by. 
They  carried  bedding,  cooking  utensils,  children, 
mirrors,  china,  ornaments,  bird  cages,  anything  and 
everything  that  could  be  snatched  up  in  a hurry. 
One  man  held  in  one  hand  a huge  clock  and  with 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  109 

the  other  clasped  to  his  breast  his  ancestral  tablets. 

On  the  first  night  that  it  rained,  thousands  of 
people  were  on  the  streets  with  no  shelter  but, 
perhaps,  a bamboo  mat  which  some  of  them  had 
carried  from  their  homes.  Those  of  us  still  beyond 
the  danger  zone  in  warm,  comfortable  beds  could 
not  sleep  for  thinking  of  them.  Babies  were  born 
that  night  and  many  of  the  sick  and  aged  died. 
Vans  piled  high  with  household  effects,  and  carry- 
ing the  Red  Cross  flag,  rumbled  past.  How  we 
blessed  the  Chinese  Red  Cross  Society! 

As  fast  as  they  could  be  opened.  Refuges  gath- 
ered in  the  homeless.  All  was  confusion  at  first, 
though  later  the  Refuges  became  well-organized 
camps  where  children  went  to  school  and  women 
were  given  sewing,  spinning,  and  similar  work  to 
do,  while  the  men  were  sent  away  to  build  dykes 
and  roads.  I accompanied  a missionary  doctor  to 
her  clinic  in  one  of  the  Refuges.  She  could  only 
treat  a small  fraction  of  the  many  who  flocked  to 
her  improvised  bamboo  hut,  and  it  wrung  my  heart 
to  see  how  patiently  the  rest  turned  away.  They 
showed  only  that  spirit  in  all  their  trouble  and 
losses.  I wonder  if  in  the  whole  world  there  can 
be  found  another  people  as  patient  and  uncom- 
plaining as  the  Chinese. 

Six  Million  People  Homeless  from  One  Flood 

That  flood  was  a costly  thing.  It  inundated  in 
part  «r  entirely  between  17,000  and  18,000  villages 


no 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


and  rendered  homeless  almost  6,000,000  people. 
Millions  were  cast  adrift  to  face  a bitterly  cold 
winter  with  only  scant  summer  clothing  and  noth- 
ing to  eat.  Picture  this  vast  number  of  members 
of  the  human  family  trying  to  satisfy  the  gnawings 
of  hunger  by  feeding  on  bark,  roots,  and  husked 
corn  cobs,  and  warming  themselves  by  fires  made 
from  bits  of  their  own  furniture,  even  the  house 
itself!  Watch,  in  your  imagination,  the  poor  crea- 
tures crowding  into  temples,  once  too  sacred  to 
admit  women;  a mother  and  her  babies  finding  a 
home  on  a bamboo  mat  the  size  of  a hearth  rug, 
and  hanging  her  wet  garments  to  dry  on  the  big 
wooden  idols ! And  all  this  notwithstanding  coloni- 
zation schemes  and  the  untiring  efforts  of  humane 
societies  of  every  creed  and  clime  to  relieve  suffer- 
ing! The  flood  lasted  most  of  the  winter  around 
Tientsin  and  engineers  say  the  water  will  not  dis- 
appear for  years  from  one  of  the  southern  districts. 


How  Forester  and  Engineer  Cooperate 

Floods  are  almost  an  annual  occurrence.  The 
Tientsin  Flood  was  spoken  of  as  phenomenal  simply 
because  it  was  a little  worse  than  most  of  them. 
The  appalling  thing  is  that  they  are  becoming  more 
frequent,  more  disastrous,  and  of  longer  duration. 
I crossed  the  Yellow  River  at  its  widest  point  one 
dark  night.  As  the  train  rolled  over  the  bridge,  I 
looked  from  the  car  window  down  on  the  swirling, 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  iii 

« 

thunderous  torrent  below,  called  “ China’s  Sor- 
row,” and  remembered  how  it  had  once  been  re- 
ported in  Tientsin  during  the  flood,  that  the  Yellow 
River  dykes  might  give  way. 

“If  they  do,  what  will  happen?”  I asked  an 
engineer, 

“ We  fehall  drown  like  rats,”  he  answered,  “ noth- 
ing can  save  us.” 

Floods  in  China  are  accounted  for  in  two  ways. 
First,  the  melting  of  snow  on  the  mountain  tops 
in  the  west  and  the  periodic  torrential  rains  which 
cause  the  rivers  in  their  lower  basins — where  the 
country  is  comparatively  level  and  the  current  slow 
— to  flow  over  and  break  through  their  dykes. 
Secondly,  quantities  of  silt  are  annually  washed 
down  from  the  denuded  hills  and  mountains  to  be 
deposited  on  the  river  beds  and  to  choke  their 
outlets.  The  turbid  waters  of  the  Yellow  River 
and  the  lower  Yangtzse  are  conclusive  evidence  of 
this  waste.  In  certain  great  areas  in  the  interior 
no  one  can  travel  without  being  at  once  impressed 
with  the  bareness  of  the  hillsides.  At  one  time  they 
were  clothed  with  noble  forests,  but  in  the  strug- 
gle for  life,  and  ignorant  of  what  spoliation  would 
mean,  the  people  have  recklessly  cut  them  down, 
and  even  dug  out  the  roots  and  scraped  away  the 
underbrush  for  fuel. 

The  floods  of  1917  roused  the  Chinese  govern- 
ment to  adopt  vigorous  measures  to  prevent  a 
recucrence  of  the  catastrophe  in  the  following 


112 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


year.  A Flood  Relief  and  Conservancy  Committee 
was  appointed  with  an  able  Chinese  as  its  Director- 
General.  Expert  American  engineers  are  on  the 
ground  studying  the  situation.  Plans  are  being 
made  to  build  higher  and  stronger  dykes  and  to 
establish  a system  of  reservoirs,  barrages,  and  out- 
lets. But  the  best  engineering  skill  in  the  world 
cannot  keep  the  silt  from  washing  down  and  sooner 
or  later  making  it  necessary  to  do  the  work  all  over 
again.  The  bed  of  one  river  in  North  China  has 
risen  ten  feet  in  six  years.  The  bed  of  another 
river  is  reported  to  be  in  places  twenty  feet  higher 
than  the  adjacent  country.  The  final  solution  of  the 
flood  problem  is  bound  up  with  afforestation ; but 
that  is  a process  of  centuries.  Hence  it  is  impera- 
tive that  the  forester  and  the  engineer  work  in  co- 
operation; the  forester  planting  trees  along  the 
upper  reaches  of  the  rivers,  and  the  engineer  build- 
ing dykes  and  reservoirs  along  their  lower  basins. 


Arbor  Day  Now  in  the  Chinese  Calendar 

This  question  of  afforestation  has  its  industrial 
and  social  sides.  Nearly  all  the  timber  used  for 
building  purposes  is  imported,  most  of  it  being 
Oregon  pine,  when  shipping  facilities  are  normal. 
The  government  spends  annually  $1,000,000  for 
the  purchase  of  ties  from  abroad  for  the  Peking- 
Hankow  Railroad.  The  progressive  director  of 
the  road  has  determined  to  put  an  end  to 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  113 

this  by  growing  forests  in  China  which  will  supply 
the  necessary  timber.  Several  sites,  thirty-three 
miles  square,  have  been  selected  and  the  work  of 
planting  is  to  begin  at  once.  It  will  take  forty 
years  for  the  trees  to  grow,  but  the  cost  of  main- 
taining the  forest  for  the  whole  period  will  be  less 
than  that  spent  in  buying  ties  for  one  year. 

Native  timber  is  needed  for  ship-building,  one  of 
the  industries  being  most  rapidly  developed  in 
China.  Working  people  must  have  barges,  trucks, 
and  wheelbarrows,  but  their  cost  is  constantly  in- 
creasing. The  homes  of  the  very  poor  are  often 
devoid  of  furniture  and  their  mud  huts  easily  col- 
lapse in  a heavy  rain  because  little  or  no  wood  is 
used  in  their  construction.  Chinese  coffins  are 
very  large  and  require  heavy  boards.  No  wonder 
that  the  ability  to  purchase  one  and  keep  it  in  the 
living-room  against  the  time  of  need,  takes  a great 
weight  off  the  minds  of  those  whose  pocketbooks 
are  lean.  A Chinese  professor  of  forestry  said  to 
me  with  more  pathos  than  humor, 

“We  hear  a great  deal  about  the  high  cost  of 
living  in  the  West,  but  I could  say  something  about 
the  high  cost  of  dying  in  the  East!  ” 

Mr.  Joseph  Bailie,  dean  of  the  College  of  Agri- 
culture and  Forestry  of  Nanking  University,  has 
conferred  a lasting  benefit  on  China  by  the  affor- 
estation and  agricultural  colonization  experiments 
that  he  has  been  conducting;  first,  on  the  barren 
wastes  of  Purple  Mountain  near  Nanking  and  now 


114  new  life  currents  in  china 

in  other  parts  of  the  country.  It  was  his  encourage- 
ment which  gave  China  her  Arbor  Day  which  was 
first  officially  recognized  in  the  spring  of  1915. 
Each  succeeding  year  students  in  mission  schools 
have  celebrated  the  day  with  growing  enthusiasm; 
government  schools  are  fast  following  their  ex- 
ample, and  it  is  evident  that  the  ceremony  is  an 
institution  which  has  come  to  stay. 

In  China  Intensive  Cultivation  is  a Fine  Art 

China  is  an  agricultural  country.  More  than 
three  fourths  of  her  people  are  engaged  in  farming. 
As  there  are  many  farmers  so  there  are  many 
farms;  some  of  them  little  more  than  garden 
patches.  But  so  thoroughly  have  Chinese  farmers 
mastered  the  art  of  fertilization  and  the  rotation  of 
crops,  that  it  is  little  short  of  miraculous  what  one 
of  these  small  plots  of  ground  can  be  made  to  yield. 
Down  in  Kwangtung,  the  province  of  which  Can- 
ton is  the  capital,  one  sixth  of  an  acre  will  support 
one  person,  two  acres  will  keep  a family  of  five 
with  a good  margin,  while  seven  acres  constitute 
wealth.  To  be  the  owner  of  a hundred  acres  is 
opulence  indeed  but  to  which  few  aspire.  In  the 
North  where  the  land  is  less  fertile  and  the  scale 
of  living  higher,  the  farms  are  larger.  But  even 
there  a family  of  five  or  six  can  subsist  on  three 
r.cres  of  land,  and  five  acres  give  comfort,  as  com- 
'"ort  is  reckoned  among  the  farming  class  of  China. 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  iiS 

Millions  of  acres  of  once  fertile  land  able  to 
nourish  many  millions  of  people,  are  now,  because 
of  the  flood  and  silt,  reduced  to  unproductive 
swamps;  “drowned  farm  lands”  they  are  called. 
There  is  seldom  a year  when  in  the  late  summer 
or  early  autumn  one  cannot  see  along  the  line  of 
the  railroad  between  Nanking  and  Tientsin,  large 
tracts  of  land  under  water,  out  of  which  rise  trees 
and  fences,  the  conical  tops  of  graves,  and  the 
highest  parts  of  mud  villages.  It  is  pitiful  to  watch 
farmers  wading  about  their  flooded  fields  gathering 
up  here  and  there  stalks  of  grain,  heavy  and  water- 
soaked  and  no  longer  fit  for  food,  but  useful,  when 
dried,  as  fuel. 

Young  China  Says  the  Old  Ways  Must  Change 

Millions  of  Chinese  nightly  lie  down  to  sleep  not 
knowing  where  to-morrow’s  food  is  to  come  from. 
Yet  the  studies  that  have  been  made  by  scientific 
agriculturists  show  that  the  productiveness  of  the 
farm  lands  could  be  greatly  increased.  If  the 
mythical  genius,  who,  tradition  has  it,  invented 
the  Chinese  plow  nearly  three  thousand  years  be- 
fore the  Christian  Era,  could  come  back  to  earth, 
would  he  be  flattered  or  disappointed  to  see  the 
same  kind  of  plow  in  use  to-day  and  the  same  old 
methods  of  farming  followed? 

“ What  was  good  enough  for  our  fathers  is  good 
enough  for  us,  so  why  change?  ” say  the  farmers. 


ii6  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

But  the  farmers’  sons  of  the  present  generation 
are  not  so  complaisant,  and  already  some  of  them 
are  stoutly  declaring, 

“ What  was  good  enough  for  our  sires  can  be 
improved  upon  by  us,  and  there  is  going  to  be  a 
change ! ” 

Mr.  Tao,  the  head  of  the  Department  of  Agricul- 
ture in  the  Normal  College  in  Nanking,  is  an  ex- 
ceptionally able  man.  He  is  a graduate  of  the 
College  of  Agriculture  of  Cornell  University  and 
has  many  plans  for  the  development  of  his  work. 

“ Many  Chinese  think  it  very  strange  to  have  a 
Department  of  Agriculture  in  a Normal  College, 
but  it  is  certainly  needed,  and  no  department  in  our 
school  is  more  popular  with  the  boys,”  said  Mr. 
Tao  to  me  in  conversation  a few  months  ago. 

“ What  do  you  expect  your  graduates  to  do  ?” 
I asked. 

“ Some  will  teach  in  government  agricultural 
schools.  Others  will  make  model  farms  out  of 
waste  lands.  Then  I am  earnestly  hoping  that 
many  will  go  to  rural  districts  and  open  schools  for 
the  farmers’  sons.” 

“ Is  it  going  to  be  hard  to  induce  them  to  adopt 
new  methods  in  farming?” 

“ It  will  not  do  to  introduce  Western  ideas  whole- 
sale. If  we  go  too  fast,  the  farmers  will  close  right 
up  and  refuse  any  of  our  suggestions.  We  must 
help  them  gradually  to  change  to  the  new  methods. 
Instead,  for  example,  of  urging  them  to  use  a mod- 


n -o 

u 

tA  Q 

bC.E 

J:  M 

'T  ^ 

O w 


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prepare  themselves  to  develop  China’s  resources. 


y 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  117 

ern  plow,  show  at  first  how  the  old  one  can  be 
improved  upon  a little.”  Mr.  Tao  explained  his 
plans  for  teaching  the  farmers  to  employ  their 
spare  time  in  winter  making  pickles,  sauces,  and 
other  marketable  products,  so  that  they  may  add 
to  their  meager  income. 


Model  Farms  and  Experimental  Stations 

Not  all  the  progressives  in  China  are  young  men 
and  sometimes  young  blood  flows  in  the  veins  of 
men  well  past  their  prime.  A retired  official  of 
high  rank  in  Central  China  takes  a deep  interest 
in  agricultural  reform  and  has  redeemed  20,000 
acres  of  waste  land  near  his  ancestral  home. 

“We  cannot  force  the  farmers  to  take  up  with 
new  ways,”  he  said.  “We  must  begin  at  the  bot- 
tom. I have  been  working  at  this  problem  for 
seven  years  and  have  only  got  so  high,”  putting^ 
his  hand  a few  inches  above  the  floor. 

In  answer  to  a question  regarding  modern  farm 
machinery.  His  Excellency  continued,  with  a shake 
of  the  head,  “ It  could  only  be  used  on  the  large 
model  farms.  The  private  farms  are  too  small  and 
the  farmers  will  not  combine.  As  our  industries 
develop  and  more  men  are  needed  to  work  in  mills 
and  factories,  perhaps  in  time  we  shall  have  fewer 
farmers  and  larger  farms.” 

Iron  and  cotton  are  the  two  chief  sources  of 
Chinais  wealth.  China  was  once  the  greatest  cot- 


Ii8  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

ton  producing  country  in  the  world  and  there  is  no 
reason  why  she  should  not  be  so  again.  The  first 
Cotton  Growing  Association  in  China  was  organ- 
ized in  1917.  The  next  year  the  association  dis- 
tributed among  cotton  growers  120  bags  of 
selected  seed, — gave  it  away  to  encourage  im- 
proved methods  of  cultivation.  China  is  in  great 
need  of  experimental  stations.  Mr.  Nieh,  the  re- 
tired official  referred  to,  proposes  to  form  a stock 
company  and  sow  eighteen  acres  of  reclaimed  land 
with  the  best  cotton  seed  from  America,  making  it 
a model  experimental  station. 


An  Agricultural  Demonstration  Train 

Something  unusually  interesting  happened  in 
China  last  September.  It  was  when  the  first  agri- 
cultural campaign  was  inaugurated  in  Peking,  and 
the  first  demonstration  train,  with  five  coaches  well 
stocked  with  agricultural  implements,  seeds,  pic- 
tures, and  literature,  started  from  the  capital  on  its 
journey  to  Hankow.  The  director  of  the  Central 
Agricultural  Experimental  Station  in  Peking  was 
in  charge  of  the  campaign,  with  assistants  from 
the  Ministry  of  Agriculture  and  Commerce. 

The  train  stopped  for  a day  or  two  at  each  of 
the  thirty-six  large  stations  along  the  route,  the 
local  officials  having  been  notified  in  advance  to 
advertise  its  coming.  On  reaching  a stopping- 
place,  a brass  band  composed  of  boys  from  a Peking 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  irg 

Orphanage  went  through  the  town  playing  stir- 
ring music  to  announce  the  arrival  of  the  train, 
and  farmers  were  invited  on  board  to  inspect  the 
exhibit.  Afterward,  members  of  the  campaign  com- 
mittee carried  seeds  and  implements  to  one  or 
more  near-by  farms  and  gave  an  actual  demonstra- 
tion of  their  use. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a lecture  with  lantern 
slides  in  the  town  hall  or  in  the  station  or  a temple, 
wherever  a place  large  enough  could  be  secured. 
Pamphlets  written  in  simple  language  were  dis- 
tributed. Seeds  were  given  away  and  the  farmers 
told  that  the  campaign  managers  would  return 
next  year  to  see  what  improvements  had  been 
made.  The  people  turned  out  in  crowds.  The 
wives  of  the  farmers  came,  too,  and  were  as  eager 
and  intelligent  as  the  men.  Seed  that  had  been 
expected  to  last  the  entire  trip,  gave  out  after  four 
stations  were  visited  and  an  order  had  to  be  sent 
to  Peking  for  a fresh  supply. 


Agriculture  in  the  Mission  Schools 

Some  mission  schools  by  adding  a course  in 
agriculture  to  their  curriculum  are  helping  to  create 
and  stimulate  an  interest  in  the  subject.  The  Uni- 
versity of  Nanking  has  a College  of  Agriculture 
and  Forestry  with  fine  experim.ental  farms.  Four- 
teen of  the  twenty-two  provinces  in  China  are  rep-, 
resented  among  its  students.  At  Canton  Christian 


120 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


College  the  students  are  supporting  an  agricul- 
tural school  for  boys  from  the  neighboring  villages ; 
the  little  fellows  are  given  practical  work  on  the 
college  farm. 

One  afternoon  recently  as  I stood  watching  a 
group  of  Canton  Christian  College  students  bend- 
ing over  the  ground  with  spade  and  shovel  and 
working  with  an  energy  which  it  did  one’s  heart 
good  to  see,  I was  reminded  of  a story  once  told 
me  by  a North  China  missionary.  A college  stu- 
dent went  to  call  on  one  of  his  teachers  before 
going  home  for  the  summer. 

“ How  do  you  advise  me  to  spend  my  vaca- 
tion?” he  asked. 

“ What  occupation  does  your  father  follow?  ” 

“ He  is  a farmer.” 

The  best  thing  for  you  to  do  is  to  go  home  and 
help  him.” 

The  lad  was  quite  shocked.  “ But  I am  a 
scholar,”  he  demurred.  “ My  brothers,  who  are 
not  scholars,  assist  my  father.” 

The  teacher  gave  a little  sound  advice  which  in 
his  heart  he  had  no  idea  would  be  followed,  and 
the  boy  turned  away  with  a moody  countenance. 
When  college  reopened,  the  first  student  to  seek 
this  teacher  was  the  one  he  had  supposed  that  he 
had  deeply  offended.  The  boy’s  face  shone  as  he 
held  out  his  hands,  palms  up.  They  were  covered 
with  callouses. 

“ These  arp  hands  that  I am  proud  to  shake ! ” 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  121 

responded  the  missionary  heartily  as  he  took  the 
boy’s  hands  in  both  of  his. 


Travel  by  Water  and  by  Rail 

In  1878  there  was  a terrible  drought  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Shansi.  The  Chinese  live  on  such  a close 
margin  that  if  for  a single  season  the  crops  fail, 
famine  is  almost  sure  to  follow.  It  was  so  that 
year.  Yet  while  thousands  were  starving  in  Shansi 
there  was  food  enough  and  to  spare  in  the  adjoin- 
ing provinces.  But  what  did  it  avail,  since  the 
means  for  transporting  it  quickly  to  the  famishing 
people  Avere  lacking?  If  a famine  occurred  to-day, 
the  situation  would  not  be  wholly  relieved.  China 
has  now,  it  is  true,  6,000  miles  of  railway,  but  that 
is  only  one  mile  to  each  50,000  people,  while  in  the 
United  States  there  is  a mile  of  railway  to  every 
360  persons.  Still  it  is  encouraging  that  in  spite 
of  untoward  conditions,  during  the  last  year  or  two 
800  miles  of  track  have  been  laid,  and  now  that 
the  European  war  is  over,  every  one  is  predicting 
a great  boom  in  railroad  construction, 

China  is  well  provided  with  natural  water-ways. 
Her  far-famed  artificial  water-way,  the  Grand 
Canal,  is  the  longest  in  existence,  approximating 
1. 000  miles  from  Peking  to  Hangchow'  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Chekiang  where  it  joins  the  sea.  Like  Rome, 
it  was  not  built  in  a day.  Work  on  it  began  in  540 
B.  Cr  and  was  not  completed  till  2,000  years 


122 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


later.  In  olden  times  it  was  over  the  Grand 
Canal  that  barges  carried  the  Imperial  grain  to 
Peking,  but  the  palmy  days  when  tribute  was  ex- 
acted have  gone  by  and  this  once  magnificent 
water-way  has  suffered  sadly  from  neglect.  In- 
stead of  a blessing,  as  it  should  be  still,  it  has  degen- 
erated into  one  of  China’s  worst  “ Sorrows.” 
Bordering  the  Grand  Canal  in  a single  district  are 
2,000,000  acres  of  swamps  which  were  once  fruit- 
ful farms.  The  American  engineers  now  in  China 
are  centering  their  attention  on  this  section  of 
the  Grand  Canal,  hoping  to  be  able  to  remedy  its 
condition. 


There  May  Have  Been  Good  Roads  in  China  Once? 

The  roads  of  China — what  tongue  or  pen  can  do 
justice  to  them?  In  the  dim  past  some  must  have 
resembled  old  Roman  roads,  judging  from  stone 
blocks  and  bits  of  pavement  that  are  occasionally 
seen  scattered  about.  Except  for  a few  courier 
roads  and  those  in  the  environs  of  certain  large 
cities,  notably  Peking,  where  some  fine  new  ones 
have  recently  been  built,  most  of  China’s  roads  are 
nothing  but  foot-paths.  The  upkeep  of  all  but  the 
courier  roads  is  left  to  the  farmers,  but  why, 
reason  these  tillers  of  the  soil,  should  we  spend 
time  and  strength  in  repairing  them,  when  others, 
far  more  than  ourselves,  will  reap  the  benefit?  And 
why  make  the  roads  wide,  since  the  wider  they  are, 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  123 

the  more  land  must  be  sliced  off  the  farms  that 
adjoin?  If  a farmer  in  carrying  his  produce  to 
market  finds  it  convenient  at  times  to  drive  his 
mules  over  his  neighbors’  fields  and  so  tramples 
down  their  grain,  his  neighbors  in  turn  drive  their 
mules  over  his  fields,  so  they  are  quits. 

Some  roads  where  the  earth  has  been  washed  or 
blown  or  dug  away  are  considerably  below  the 
level  of  the  adjacent  farms,  and  in  wet  weather 
become  flooded  and  impassable.  Others  arc  the 
dykes  between  paddy  fields,  and  when  it  rains  are 
so  muddy  and  slippery,  that  to  walk  over  them 
safely  requires  the  skill  of  an  acrobat.  Traveling 
by  sedan-chair  over  the  narrow  roads  in  Szechuan 
is  at  times  a highly  exhilarating  experience,  as 
when  in  crossing  a dyke  one  sees  approaching  a 
long  line  of  pack-mules  with  bulging  panniers,  and 
knows  full  well  that  if  one  party  or  the  other  is  to 
be  pushed  off  into  the  wet  rice-field  it  will  not  be 
the  pack-mules! 

The  World's  Longest  Courier  Mail  Service 

In  Shantung,  the  home  of  the  wheelbarrow,  it  is 
equally  exciting,  when  traveling  by  cart,  to  en- 
counter half  way  through  one  of  the  long,  deep 
gullies  a line  of  wheelbarrows  heavily  laden  with 
stone,  and  pushed  by  coolies  whose  straining  mus- 
cles stand  out  like  whip-cords.  For  either  of  us 
to  turn  back  is  impossible.  To  pass  seems  equally 


124  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

impossible.  But  our  cart  driver  nicely  balances  our 
cart  on  one  precipitous  side  of  the  canyon,  and  the 
coolies  their  wheelbarrows  on  the  opposite  side,  and 
so  slowly,  very  slowly  we  creep  past  each  other. 

The  transportation  of  goods  is  dependent  on 
human  carriers  to  an  extent  that  is  hard  for  the 
people  of  the  West  to  realize.  One  cannot  help 
thinking,  when  watching  these  long  lines  of  mus- 
cular coolies  that  one  meets  on  every  road  pushing 
wheelbarrows,  hauling  trucks,  or  carrying  enor- 
mous weights  suspended  from  poles  on  their 
shoulders,  what  a boon  it  will  be  for  the  country 
when  with  better  means  of  transportation,  these 
men  are  released  for  other  labor.  In  this  connec- 
tion I must  not  omit  to  mention  the  mail-couriers. 
These  humble  servants  of  the  government  do  really 
wonderful  work.  From  a point  in  the  province 
of  Honan,  where  the  railroad  ends,  to  far-away 
Turkestan,  the  Chinese  post-office  maintains  a day 
and  night  courier  service  of  2,223  miles,  probably 
the  longest  single  courier  line  in  the  world.  The 
mail-couriers  travel  by  camel,  mule,  and  pony,  on 
rafts  made  of  inflated  hides,  and  on  foot;  they  cross 
turbulent  streams  that  are  not  bridged,  hanging  on 
to  wire  ropes  and  bamboo  poles;  they  face  death 
from  brigands,  unruly  soldiers,  and  wild  beasts. 
Some  that  travel  by  foot  cover  forty  miles  a day. 
Others  travel  sixty  miles  at  a stretch,  carrying  forty 
pounds  of  letter  mail,  and  without  any  rest  e.xcept 
brief  stops  for  food.  Mail  is  rarely  lost.  One 


One  exhibit  ear  in  the  agrieulUiral  demonstration  tram  which  aroused  intense  interest  on  its 

initial  trip  from  Peking  to  Hankow. 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  125 


winter  I traveled  from  Shanghai  to  Szechuan,  down 
to  Fukien  and  up  to  Peking.  My  letters  were  for- 
warded and  reforwarded,  till  the  original  address 
was  almost  obliterated,  but  as  far  as  I know  there 
was  only  one  letter  that  I failed  to  receive. 


The  Dozen  of  a Nczv  Industrial  Day 

Not  long  ago  I read  in  a morning  paper  that  at 
Wusih,  a prosperous  city  on  the  railroad  between 
Shanghai  and  Nanking,  smoke  rises  daily  from  the 
chimneys  of  fifty  mills  and  factories,  whereas  only 
ten  years  ago  there  were  not  more  than  half  a 
dozen.  I have  learned  since  that  the  statement  was 
somewhat  exaggerated,  but  it  at  least  gives  an 
idea  of  the  rapid  industrial  development  of  the  past 
few  years.  The  advance  in  some  directions  has 
been  by  leaps  and  bounds.  Cotton-mills  lead  off, 
but  silk-  and  flour-mills,  paper,  soap,  match,  can- 
ning, and  other  factories  are  rapidly  multiplying. 
At  a large  canning  factory  in  Shanghai,  the  em- 
ployees wear  a white  uniform  with  cap,  and  the 
premises  are  kept  sanitary  and  spotlessly  clean. 
The  neatly  labeled  tins  of  vegetables,  fish,  and  fruit, 
many  of  the  varieties  being  peculiar  to  China,  have 
a most  appetizing  appearance. 

There  has  been  a remarkable  development  of  late 
in  ship-building.  A few  months  ago  a 2500-ton 
steamer  slid  gracefully  into  the  Whangpoo  River  at 
Shaaghai,  the  largest  yet  launched  from  a Chinese 


126 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


shipyard.  Recently  the  American  government  con- 
tracted with  the  Kiangnan  Dock  and  Engineering 
Company  of  Shanghai  for  the  construction  of 
four  huge  cargo  ships,  with  an  option  for  the 
building  of  eight  more.  These  io,ooo-ton  ships 
will  be  the  largest  ever  built  in  China  and  among 
the  largest  yet  constructed  by  the  American  Ship- 
ping Board. 

The  largest  single-unit  industrial  enterprise  in 
China  is  the  Premier  Iron  and  Steel  Corporation, 
at  Hanyang,  which  is  across  the  Han  River  from 
Hankow,  often  called  the  Chicago  of  China.  This 
immense  plant,  which  has  been  in  operation  for 
twenty-five  years,  employs  about  five  thousand 
men,  two  thousand  of  whom  are  skilled  workmen, 
and  turns  out  annually  120,000  tons  of  pig  iron  and 
60,000  tons  of  steel.  This  Company  expects  next 
year  to  operate  another  plant  sixty  miles  south  of 
Hankow  on  the  Yangtsze  River,  where  several 
hundred  acres  of  land  have  been  purchased  and 
some  of  the  buildings  are  nearing  completion. 


True  Progress — China  Has  Department  Stores! 

A novel  development  of  recent  years  in  the  in- 
dustrial world  of  China  is  the  modern  department 
store.  As  yet  these  stores  are  found  only  in  sev- 
eral of  the  coast  cities.  Canton,  Hongkong,  and 
Shanghai,  but  such  is  their  success  and  popularity, 
that  other  more  conservative  cities  are  sure  to 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  127 

want  them  before  long.  Progressive  Canton  boasts 
of  as  many  as  four  or  five.  Her  latest  venture  is  a 
nine-story  building,  a real  Chinese  sky-scraper! 
Not  many  years  ago  any  building  higher  than  one 
story  was  utterly  discountenanced  by  the  Chinese, 
as  something  sure  to  bring  the  worst  kind  of  ill 
luck.  A Peking  missionary  when  putting  up  a 
new  house  received  a call  one  day  from  his  Chi- 
nese neighbor  who  insisted  that  a chimney  over- 
looking his  premises  must  be  torn  down  as  a 
necromancer  had  told  him  that  it  would  bring  cer- 
tain destruction  to  his  family.  Failing  to  secure  a 
promise  to  have  it  removed,  the  anxious  house- 
holder the  next  day  engaged  a number  of  carts, 
and  had  his  wives,  children,  and  furniture  carried 
to  a place  of  safety,  while  he  returned  alone  to 
watch  developments.  After  several  weeks,  as 
nothing  happened,  he  brought  his  family  back. 

The  oldest  department  store  in  China  is  known 
as  The  Sincere  Company;  it  opened  in  Canton  in 
1900.  In  1907  a third  Sincere  Company  Store,  the 
second  being  in  Hongkong,  began  business  in 
Shanghai;  and  within  a year  still  another  depart- 
ment store.  The  Wing  On  Company,  opened  its 
doors  across  the  street.  The  two  Shanghai  stores 
are  five  stories  high  with  roof  gardens  where  there 
is  a small  menagerie,  a cinematograph,  and  num- 
erous other  attractions.  Adjoining  each  depart- 
ment store  and  run  in  conjunction  with  it,  is  a large 
modern  hotel,  with  hundreds  of  single  rooms  and 


128 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


handsome  suites,  dining-rooms  where  Chinese  and 
foreign  food  is  served,  banqueting  halls,  elevators, 
and  swarms  of  servants  in  livery  who  give  a very 
up-to-date  air  to  the  establishment. 

A large  part  of  the  stock  in  these  stores  is 
foreign  merchandise,  and  how  the  companies  were 
able  to  import  it  during  the  past  few  years  when 
shipping  facilities  were  few  and  freight  charges 
exorbitantly  high,  is  a mystery!  The  Sincere 
Company  employs  800  men  chosen  by  competitive 
examination.  Customers  throng  these  stores,  often 
as  many  as  10,000  in  a day.  They  come  from  the 
city  and  country,  rich  and  poor,  men  and  women. 
There  is  no  haggling  over  prices,  for  all  the  prices 
are  fixed.  At  night  the  department  stores  are  bril- 
liantly illuminated  with  electricity.  Every  evening 
from  the  windows  of  my  home  I can  see  the  city, 
although  two  miles  distant,  and  the  electric  display 
on  the  roof  of  the  Wing  On  store  which  would 
cause  many  of  the  elaborate  designs  on  upper 
Broadway  in  New  York  to  pale  beside  it. 


One  of  the  World’s  Greatest  Markets 

The  scale  of  living  is  rising  in  China.  Day  labor- 
ers’ and  servants’  wages  are  in  many  places  two  or 
three  times  what  they  were  formerly,  and  it  is 
not  altogether  because  prices  are  higher.  People 
are  beginning  to  live  better.  A few  years  ago 
it  was  very  rarely  indeed  that  one  saw  in  the  inter- 


ECONOMIC  AND  INDUSTRIAL  CHANGES  129 

ior,  whether  it  was  in  a city  or  village,  any  other 
light  than  the  tiny  flame  made  by  a wick  floating 
in  a small  vessel  of  vegetable  oil.  Now  lights  like 
this  are  becoming  scarce,  while  electricity,  acety- 
lene, or  kerosene  lamps  are  taking  their  places.  The 
agents  of  the  Standard  Oil  Company  and  the  Asi- 
atic Petroleum  Company  (British)  have  penetrated 
everywhere,  and  carry  on  a lucrative  business.  The 
whir  of  the  American  sewing-machine  is  heard  in 
the  most  out-of-the-way  places.  While  visiting 
recently  in  an  inland  city  quite  off  the  beaten  route, 
I was  surprised  to  see  above  the  doorway  on  one 
of  the  busy  streets  this  sign,  “ Organ  Repair 
Shop,”  showing  not  only  that  there  were  organs  in 
this  rather  small  city  but  enough  to  make  a repair 
shop  a convenience! 

China  is  destined  to  be  one  of  the  great  importing 
countries  of  the  world.  Last  year  she  imported 
$300,000,000  worth  of  cotton  cloth  alone,  and  be- 
cause, owing  to  war  conditions,  more  could  not  be 
had  from  abroad,  hand  weaving  was  revived  and  the 
thud  of  the  hand  loom  was  heard  as  it  had  not  been 
in  many  a day.  As  her  industrial  development 
continues,  China  is  becoming  yearly  more  of  a 
market  for  machinery,  including  machine  tools, 
sewing  machines,  and  electrical  apparatus.  The 
demand  did  not  fall  off  during  the  years  of  the 
war,  notwithstanding  the  scarcity  of  foreign  goods, 
high  prices,  and  lack  of  shipping.  However,  the 
impressibility  of  securing  all  the  machinery  needed 


130  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

from  abroad,  forced  the  Chinese  to  turn  their  at- 
tention to  its  manufacture  at  home,  which  may  be 
the  beginning  of  an  important  native  industry. 

China’s  exports  will  keep  pace  with  her  imports. 
Not  only  the  merchandise  and  products  hitherto 
exported,  and  with  which  the  West  is  most  familiar 
will  go  out  from  her  shores;  but,  as  a writer  on 
economics  in  China  recently  pointed  out,  there  is 
no  reason  why  there  should  not  be  in  time  far 
heavier  exports  of  beef,  Mongolian  mutton,  espe- 
cially sweet-savored  and  delicate  pork,  poultry,  and 
eggs.  With  intelligent  and  skilful  management 
the  productiveness  of  China  could  be  increased  ten- 
fold. 

The  country’s  resources  are  practically  illimit- 
able. She  has  enough  wealth  stored  away  under 
ground  to  enrich  the  world  for  a millennium.  Be- 
cause of  the  unsettled  condition  of  the  country, 
capitalists  have  been  afraid  to  invest  their  money  in 
commercial  and  industrial  enterprises,  and,  instead, 
have  kept  it  in  the  bank.  But,  when  peace  is  re- 
stored within  her  borders  and  a firm  hand  rests  on 
the  nation’s  helm ; her  international  prerogatives 
secured,  and  just  and  friendly  relations  established 
with  her  next-door  neighbor,  there  is  every  reason 
to  believe  that  the  possibilities  of  China’s  economic 
and  industrial  development  will  prove  great  be- 
yond calculation. 


VI 

THE  VITALIZING  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN 
EDUCATION 


CHAPTER  VI 


THE  VITALIZING  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN 
EDUCATION 

From  time  immemorial  no  people  in  the  world 
have  revered  learning  like  the  Chinese,  but  with  a 
single  exception  China  is  the  most  illiterate  coun- 
try in  the  world.  The  statements  sound  paradoxi- 
cal, yet  both  are  true.  Aristocracy  in  China  de- 
pends not  on  money  but  on  scholarship.  A man 
may  be  so  poverty-stricken  that  he  can  hardly  keep 
soul  and  body  together,  but  if  he  is  a scholar  he 
stands  on  the  top  rung  of  the  social  ladder. 

Not  only  is  the  scholar  respected,  but  written 
and  printed  characters  are  reverenced  as  symbols 
of  learning.  If  a boy  were  to  tear  up  a sheet  of 
paper  on  which  Chinese  characters  are  printed  or 
written  and  throw  the  pieces  away,  he  would  be 
severely  condemned,  but  if  as  he  walks  along  the 
street,  he  carefully  picks  up  out  of  the  dust  or  mud 
such  bits  of  paper,  he  is  storing  up  merit.  The 
approved  way  to  dispose  of  waste  paper  is  to  burn 
it,  not  leave  it  to  be  trampled  under  foot. 

The  Supreme  Position  of  the  Scholar  in  Old  China 

With  all  this  high  regard  of  the  Chinese  for 
learning,  it  has  until  recently  been  a luxury  re- 

133 


134 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


served  only  for  the  favored  few.  Every  family,  no 
matter  how  poor,  cherished  the  ambition,  which 
was  not  always  realized,  of  being  able  to  send  one 
child  to  school.  A missionary  once  asked  a cart 
driver  how  many  children  he  had.  “ Five  mouths 
and  a scholar,”  was  his  answer,  meaning  that  one 
child  out  of  his  six  was  being  educated. 

Only  a small  percentage  of  the  boys  sent  to 
school  continued  their  studies  until  they  were  pre- 
pared to  go  to  the  renowned  Examination  Hall  in 
their  district  or  province  for  the  competitive  gov- 
ernment examination.  The  highest  degree  in  the 
gift  of  the  government  was  the  Hanlin.  If  it  was 
an  honor  for  a family  to  have  a son  who  could 
recite  a few  pages  from  the  classics,  it  was  honor 
enough  for  an  entire  clan  to  be  able  to  point  in 
their  genealogical  tables  to  the  name  of  one  mem- 
ber who  had  risen  to  the  rare  distinction  of  a 
Hanlin.  No  youth  was  allowed  to  enroll  for  the 
government  examinations  who  had  not  a clean 
record  behind  him,  not  necessarily  as  to  character, 
but  the  fact  had  to  be  established  that  for  four 
generations  there  had  been  no  barbers  or  chair- 
coolies  among  his  progenitors. 

The  goal  of  very  student’s  ambition  was  politi- 
cal preferment,  but  no  one  was  eligible  for  public 
office  who  had  not  successfully  passed  the  govern- 
ment examination.  If  the  candidate  failed  to  pass, 
the  calling  of  teacher  was  always  open  to  him.  The 
old-style  Chinese  teacher  could  recite  the  Chinese 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  135 


classics  by  the  hour  and  write  a good  style,  using 
some  thousands  of  the  characters,  but  his  practical 
knowledge  was  a negligible  quantity.  Some  one 
has  said,  “The  Western  child  of  ten  years  knew 
more  about  the  earth,  the  universe,  and  the  immut- 
able laws  of  nature  than  the  average  Hanlin.” 
Often  a scholar  would  surprise  a newly-arrived 
foreigner  by  asking  him  such  a question,  as  “ Did 
you  come  here  in  a cart?”  or  “Have  you  rivers 
and  the  five  kinds  of  grain  in  your  country?” 

A scholar  was  above  stooping  to  any  kind  of 
manual  labor.  For  this  reason  he  cultivated  very 
long  finger  nails  to  show  that  his  work  was  to 
handle  books  and  not  tools.  I had  a language 
teacher  who,  if  I dropped  my  handkerchief  in  his 
presence,  would  point  his  long,  slender  forefinger 
at  it  with  the  remark,  “ Tai-tai-  nina  ti  shou  chuan 
taio  la”  “ Lady,  you  have  dropped  your  handker- 
chief.” I suppose  if  he  had  dropped  his  own  he 
would  have  had  to  pick  it  up,  but  he  certainly 
would  have  refrained  from  such  an  ignoble  act  had 
there  been  a servant  around  to  do  it  for  him. 


Modern  Education  Spells  Progress 

China’s  contact  with  Western  nations,  and  the 
introduction  of  Western  education  into  the  country 
by  missionaries,  sounded  the  death  knell  of  the  old, 
effete  educational  system.  A well-known  British 
educator  has  said,  “ The  true  focus  of  every  great 


136 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


educational  movement  is  a vision  of  a new  way  of 
life.”  China  had  her  vision,  and  though  not  clearly 
seen  at  first,  it  brought  in  time  a new  way  and  a 
new  life.  Instead  of  atrophy  and  stagnation,  which 
were  synonyms  for  the  old  system,  modern  educa- 
tion stands  for  movement,  uplift,  progress. 

In  1898  the  Emperor  Kwanghsii  instituted  re- 
form measures  which  vitally  affected  education, 
but  the  conservatism  at  that  period  was  too  great 
to  be  overcome  and  they  came  to  naught.  It  was 
not  until  after  the  Boxer  Rebellion  that  in  1901 
the  Empress  Tzuhsi,  impelled  by  a fast  moving  tide 
she  could  no  longer  resist,  ordered  all  Examination 
Halls  turned  into  colleges  where  both  Chinese  and 
Western  learning  should  be  taught.  Edict  after 
edict  pertaining  to  sweeping  educational  reforms 
followed  in  quick  succession;  but  most  of  them 
were  dead  letters,  and  it  was  soon  found  that  the 
new  learning  could  not  be  successfully  grafted  on 
to  the  old.  More  drastic  changes  were  necessary. 

In  September,  1905,  an  edict  went  forth  entirely 
abolishing  the  old  system  of  education  that  for 
more  than  twelve  hundred  years  had  swayed  the 
intellectual  and  official  life  of  the  Chinese  people. 
It  is  easy  in  a few  words  to  write  about  the  promul- 
gation of  that  historic  edict,  but  when  we  try  to 
realize  what  it  was  destined  to  mean  to  China  and 
to  Christianity,  we  are  overwhelmed  by  its  tre- 
mendous import.  The  old  Examination  Halls 
now  began  to  be  torn  down  and  modern  colleges 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  13? 


and  university  buildings  erected  in  their  stead. 
But  not  all  the  Examination  Halls  have  been 
destroyed  and  let  us  hope  that  at  least  one  or  two 
will  be  allowed  to  stand  as  relics  of  a noble,  albeit 
worn-out  system  of  education.  What  memories, 
like  ghosts  of  an  almost  forgotten  past,  haunt  these 
ancient  Halls!  Each  had  three  doors,  one  of  which 
was  called  the  “ death  door  ” and  only  opened 
when,  during  an  e.xamination,  the  dead  were  car- 
ried out.  This  was  not  an  uncommon  occurrence, 
for  many  a student,  weakened  by  previous  study 
culminating  in  the  prolonged  and  racking  final  test, 
utterly  succumbed;  or,  finding  that  he  was  going 
to  fail,  and  too  proud  to  return  with  “ loss  of  face  ” 
to  his  chagrined  and  disappointed  family,  took  his 
own  life. 


Schools  of  Many  Types 

In  the  years  following  the  edict  of  1905  changes 
succeeded  each  other  rapidly,  and  as  a Chinese  edi- 
tor wrote,  “ Schools  sprang  up  like  mushrooms  all 
over  the  country.”  In  1909  there  was  opened  in 
Peking  Tsing  Hua  College,  or  as  it  is  more  often 
called,  “ The  Indemnity  School,”  because  it  was 
made  possible  by  the  American  government  which 
remitted  a large  part  of  its  share  of  the  Boxer 
indemnity  in  order  that  Chinese  students,  women 
as  well  as  men,  might  be  prepared  through  a com- 
petitive examination  to  continue  their  studies  in 


1-58 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


the  United  States.  The  Chinese  government  now 
hopes  to  induce  the  European  Powers  to  whom 
indemnity  payments  are  still  due,  to  remit  the  bal- 
ance and  apply  it  to  promoting  education  in  China. 

The  Revolution  of  1911  greatly  accelerated  the 
reform  educational  movement.  If  in  preceding 
years  schools  had  sprung  up  like  mushrooms,  it  is 
hard  to  find  a comparison  for  the  way  they  now 
multiplied. 

Under  the  old  system,  education  was  left  largely 
to  the  people  to  organize  and  promote;  the  only 
connection  the  government  had  with  it  being 
through  its  competitive  examinations.  To-day  the 
framework  of  the  system  of  government  adminis- 
tration is  very  complete.  The  ministry  of  educa- 
tion through  its  minister  of  education  and  his  asso- 
ciates, supervises  national  educational  interests. 
Each  province  has  an  educational  commissioner; 
each  district  its  board  of  education,  while  gentry 
are  appointed  to  supervise  the  schools  in  towns  and 
villages.  There  are  also  national,  provincial,  dis- 
trict, and  local  school  inspectors.  Government 
schools  are  of  all  grades,  from  the  great  university 
in  Peking  and  the  universities  in  other  cities  down 
to  the  kindergarten,  embracing  institutes  of  tech- 
nology, provincial  technical  schools,  national  nor- 
mal colleges,  provincial  normal  schools,  middle 
schools,  equivalent  to  Western  high  schools,  upper 
and  lower  primary  or  elementary  schools.  It  will 
be  years  before  China’s  educational  facilities  are 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  139 

adequate,  but  she  has  achieved  a hopeful  beginning 
in  providing  the  various  types  of  schools  on  which 
her  new  system  is  to  be  built. 

Ancient  Classics  and  Modern  Toothbrushes 

Suppose  we  make  an  imaginary  visit  on  a winter 
morning  to  two  lower  primary  schools,  one  of  the 
old  type  and  the  other  of  the  new.  We  will  put 
them  on  opposite  sides  of  the  same  street  and  call 
first  at  the  old-style  school.  Schools  like  this  are 
still  seen  in  the  country  though  they  are  fast  dis- 
appearing. The  room  we  enter  is  dark,  cheerless, 
and  bitterly  cold,  with  mud  floor  and  bare  walls. 
As  the  boys  arrive  they  bow  first  before  the  tablet 
of  Confucius,  then  to  the  teacher  and  take  their 
seats  on  rude  stools  in  front  of  equally  rude  tables; 
the  two  articles  of  furniture  having  been  brought 
from  the  homes  of  the  individual  pupils.  Opening 
their  paper-covered  books,  and  straining  their  eyes 
in  the  dim  light  to  see,  each  child  begins  shouting 
at  the  top  of  his  voice  this  sentence  from  the  clas- 
sics, “ Gems  unwrought  can  never  be  useful,  and 
untaught  persons  will  never  know  the  proprie- 
ties! ” Over  and  over  the  characters  are  repeated 
in  hoarse  voices  to  the  rhythm  of  swaying  little 
bodies  encased  in  padded  garments,  till  the  sen- 
tence, not  its  meaning,  finds  lodgment  in  the 
child’s  brain.  The  sallow-faced  teacher,  his  bamboo 
ferrule  beside  him,  sits  at  his  desk  unmoved  by  it 
all,  even  peacefully  dozing  when  not  engaged  in 


140 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


dealing  promiscvrous  blows  upon  a “ stupid  ” pupil 
too  congealed  with  cold  to  memorize  well.  The 
children  go  home  twice  a day  to  eat  and  then  come 
right  back  again  to  remain  until  night-fall.  There 
is  no  recess  during  the  day;  no  holiday  on  Satur- 
day or  Sunday. 

The  other  school  is  light,  sunny,  and  well-ven- 
tilated. Bamboo  curtains  at  the  windows  are  ar- 
ranged to  shut  out  the  glare.  The  walls  are  hung 
with  colored  prints  and  maps.  Beneath  them  is  a 
blackboard.  In  the  center  of  the  room  stands  a 
large  cage  containing  live  rabbits.  Against  the 
rear  wall  hangs  a row  of  little  toothbrushes  and 
below  them  another  row  of  enamelled  mugs,  each 
tagged  with  the  child’s  name.  As  the  scholars 
come  in,  girls  as  well  as  boys — for  the  modern  sys- 
tem permits  boys  and  girls  under  twelve  years  of 
age  to  study  together — the  day  starts  with  a vigor- 
ous and  simultaneous  attack  on  the  teeth.  This 
over,  one  of  the  women  teachers  seats  herself  at 
the  baby  organ,  and  while  the  pupils  stand  at  their 
desks,  they  join  in  singing  in  good  time  and  tune, 
the  national  anthem.  An  hour  or  two  passes  in 
quiet  study  and  recitation, — no  loud  shouting  in 
this  school ! At  a given  signal,  the  pupils  march 
in  an  orderly  manner  to  the  back  of  the  room 
where  they  secure  the  materials  necessary  for  clay 
modeling  and  the  next  period  is  spent  at  this  task. 
The  school  which  I have  just  described  is  the  prac- 
tise school  of  a large  provincial  normal  school.  Not 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  141 


all  schools  are  up  to  its  standard  of  equipment  and 
program,  but  the  significance  of  such  a progressive 
institution  is  apparent. 

Each  province  has  several  normal  schools  for 
both  men  and  women.  Their  students  pay  nothing 
for  board  or  tuition,  and  in  some  schools  uniforms 
and  books  are  also  provided  and  a bonus  added  of 
ten  Mexican  dollars  a month.  There  are  six  higher 
normal  schools,  or  national  normal  colleges  for 
men,  and  one,  which  is  in  Peking,  for  women.  In 
point  of  efficiency  the  normal  college  in  Nanking 
probably  heads  the  list;  it  has  700  students,  in- 
cluding those  in  the  practise  school.  With  the 
exception  of  the  Chinese  Department,  the  heads  of 
departments  are  returned  students,  all  carefully  se- 
lected men,  and  each  one  an  expert  in  his  own  line. 
Workshops  in  connection  with  the  department  of 
mechanics  have  just  been  added.  At  first,  the  boys 
did  not  take  kindly  to  manual  labor, — they  were 
possessed  with  the  old  idea  that  a scholar  must 
not  soil  his  hands;  but  it  was  not  long  before  they 
found  keen  enjoyment  in  it.  The  principal  of  this 
college  and  his  wife  are  Christians.  In  a number 
of  the  normal  schools  where  the  principal  is  a non- 
Christian,  permission  is  given  the  missionaries  to 
hold  Bible  classes.  The  teachers  in  the  Tientsin 
normal  school  for  girls  are  especially  favorable  to 
Christianity  and  considerable  Christian  work  is 
carried  on  there  by  the  Young  Women’s  Christian 
Association. 


142 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


The  Thomas  Arnold  of  China  and  His  Rugby 

In  all  China  there  is  not  a better  government 
school  of  any  grade  than  the  Nankai  High  School 
for  boys  in  Tientsin.  It  started  with  a handful  of 
boys  twenty  years  ago  in  the  home  of  a ]\Ir.  Yuen 
who  was  the  first  Chinese  gentleman  to  advise  abol- 
ishing the  old  educational  system.  The  school  has 
grown  steadily  until  it  has  now  more  than  one 
thousand  students,  fine  grounds  and  buildings,  an 
auditorium  with  a seating  capacity  of  1,200,  a 
social  hall,  glee  club,  school  periodicals  edited  by 
the  students,  an  athletic  field,  a college  band,  a 
social  service  club,  and  a live  Young  Men’s  Chris 
tian  Association. 

Just  inside  the  entrance  to  the  main  building  of 
this  school  is  a mirror,  and  above  it  a wooden  tab- 
let on  which  are  written  in  large  characters  some 
terse  admonitions  as  to  character  and  conduct.  No 
boy  passing  through  the  hall  can  very  well  help 
seeing  his  reflection  in  the  mirror,  and  the  instant 
he  does  so  his  eyes  involuntarily  turn  to  the  tablet. 
As  truly  as  Thomas  Arnold  made  Rugby  has  Chang 
Po-ling,  its  founder  and  principal,  made  Nankai 
High  School.  No  name  is  better  known  throughout 
China  and  no  Christian  is  more  trusted  and  beloved. 
Whenever  it  is  announced  in  a school,  be  it  govern- 
ment or  mission,  that  Mr.  Chang  is  in  town  and 
will  address  the  students,  all  conflicting  engage- 
ments are  cancelled  and  every  boy  is  in  his  place 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  143 


at  the  appointed  time.  When  he  was  converted 
eight  years  ago  this  educational  leader  went  at  once 
to  the  school  directors  in  Peking  and  resigned  his 
position,  saying,  “ I am  now  a Christian,”  But  the 
board  of  directors  would  not  release  him.  and  he  is 
continuing  his  work,  a tower  of  strength  and  a 
fearless  witness  to  the  Truth. 

A high  school  at  Kaifeng,  the  capital  of  Honan, 
has  a unique  interest  because  the  students’  bed- 
rooms are  some  of  the  “ stalls  ” of  the  old  Exam- 
ination Hall,  which  was  so  large  it  could  accommo- 
date 18,000  students  at  once.  The  principal  of  this 
school,  a non-Christian  himself,  spent  nine  days  in 
one  of  these  very  stalls  while  taking  the  govern- 
ment examination.  Though  an  old-time  scholar, 
he  has  present-day  ideas  and  has  made  the  school 
a great  success.  When  the  school  opened  several 
years  ago,  a competitive  examination  was  held  to 
admit  120  boys.  From  all  over  the  province  they 
swarmed,  arriving  on  donkeys,  in  wheelbarrows,  on 
foot,  and  by  train! — 1.200  to  compete  for  120 
places  I A missionary  in  Honan  says  of  the  two 
hundred  students  now  in  this  school,  “ Many  of 
them  are  the  salt  of  the  Chinese  earth,  and  salt  is 
dear  in  China.” 

The  New  Opportunities  for  Chinese  Women 

The  abolition  of  the  old  system  of  education 
caused  a mighty  impulse  to  be  given  to  the  educa- 
tion of  women.  Educated  husbands  began  teach- 


144 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


ing  their  illiterate  wives.  Even  as  long  ago  as 
1910,  every  day  hundreds  of  women  students 
were  to  be  seen  on  the  city  streets  on  their  way  to 
and  from  the  government  schools.  The  next  year  I 
visited  a girls’  normal  school  in  Nanchang  where  a 
young  man  teacher  was  giving  a class  some  simple 
lessons  in  physical  training.  The  cautious  way  in 
which  the  girls  stepped  about,  although  they  wore 
ordinary  shoes,  showed  that  their  feet  had  been 
recently  unbound.  Several  men  in  this  school 
were  teaching  without  salary  because  of  their  in- 
terest in  the  education  of  women.  In  Canton, 
girls  going  to  and  from  school  through  the 
crowded  streets,  wear  a small  metal  badge,  which 
not  only  designates  them  as  school  girls  but  tells 
the  particular  school  to  which  they  belong.  The 
police  have  strict  orders  to  protect  schoolgirls. 
When  a policeman  not  long  ago  ventured  to  ad- 
dress a girl  familiarly,  he  was  severely  flogged  and 
only  allowed  to  keep  his  office  by  apologizing  to 
the  girl’s  parents. 

The  late  Dr.  W.  A.  P.  Martin,  for  sixty-six  years 
a missionary  in  China,  once  said,  “Woman,  ignor- 
ant, has  made  China  Buddhist;  will  not  woman, 
educated,  make  China  Christian?”  Christian 
Chinese  women  teachers  to-day  have  opportunities 
that  are  well-nigh  unparalleled  for  spreading  the 
gospel  and  very  many  are  making  noble  use  of 
them. 

A Mt.  Holyoke  graduate  just  back  from  Amer- 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  145 


ica  said  to  some  of  her  friends  as  she  passed 
through  Shanghai  on  her  way  to  her  work  in  Can- 
ton, “ Pray  for  me,  that  I may  give  my  girls  the 
right  ideals  and  lead  many  to  Christ.”  A year 
later  when  I was  in  Canton,  I saw  this  young 
teacher,  and  learned,  not  from  her,  for  she  was  too 
modest  a Christian  to  tell  me,  but  from  mission- 
aries, what  a power  for  good  she  is  and  how  many 
souls  have  been  led  into  the  kingdom  through  the 
quiet  influence  of  her  life  and  work. 

Christian  Churches  Grow  from  Christian  Schools 

There  passed  through  Shanghai  recently  a 
Chinese  young  woman  who  enjoyed  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  first  woman  from  the  Far  East 
to  receive  a degree  from  London  University.  She 
was  planning  to  take  up  educational  work,  and 
her  relatives  and  friends  in  Shanghai  urged  her  to 
settle  here.  But  she  said,  ” No,  this  is  too  easy 
a field,  and,  besides,  it  already  has  many  Christian 
teachers.  My  ancestral  home  in  the  interior  needs 
me  more.”  A few  months  ago  she  opened  her 
school  in  Changsha,  Hunan.  One  of  her  cousins, 
who  was  a bitter  opponent  of  Christianity,  has 
recently  asked  for  baptism,  saying,  “ The  life,  the 
love,  and  power  of  my  cousin  have  made  me  feel 
that  I must  have  the  same  power  to  overcome  sin 
and  rise  above  difficulties.  I,  too,  want  Christ  in 
my  life.” 

Tvvo  years  ago  a young  woman  accepted  a posi- 


146  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

tion  as  teacher  in  a school  where  there  were  five 
Christians  among  sixty  pupils.  In  that  school  the 
number  of  students  has  increased  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  of  whom  seventy  are  Christians.  A 
teacher  in  a government  normal  school  let  it  be 
quietly  understood  among  the  pupils  that  during 
the  recess  period  of  ten  minutes  she  would  gladly 
teach  the  Bible  to  any  one  who  came  to  her  room. 
In  four  months  thirty  had  accepted  the  Christian 
faith.  One  of  these  girls,  on  graduating,  became 
the  head  of  a government  normal  school  in  another 
city.  She  has  held  her  new  position  for  a com- 
paratively short  time  but  she  has  led  to  Christ 
thirty-four  out  of  the  entire  student  body  of 
ninety. 

Exchanging  Long  Finger  Nails  for  Calloused  Palms 

Under  the  old  educational  system,  as  I have  al- 
ready said,  there  were  just  two  things  for  which 
a scholar  was  fitted,  to  fill  a public  office  or  to 
teach.  With  all  its  advantages,  the  Chinese  soon 
came  to  see  that  modern  education  was  not  furn- 
ishing enough  practical  courses;  the  school  was 
not  sufficiently  related  to  the  life  of  the  people; 
so  they  have  been  of  late  laying  great  stress  on 
industrial  and  vocational  education.  Much  of  the 
poverty  in  China  is  the  result  of  unskilled  labor. 
The  government  has  instructed  technical  schools 
to  open  workshops  where  their  students  can  have 
practical  training,  and  many  are  doing  so.  An 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  147 

interesting  example  is  the  miniature  but  perfectly 
equipped  cotton-mill  which  is  run  in  connection 
with  the  large  textile  school  at  Nantungchow  on 
the  Yangtsze  River. 

Not  long  ago  some  wealthy  Chinese  in  Malaysia 
and  the  Philippines  made  it  possible  to  open  a 
vocational  school  in  Shanghai  which  is  the  first 
of  its  kind  in  China.  This  school,  as  the  Commis- 
sioner of  Education  explains,  is  not  to  teach  poor 
boys  with  little  book  learning  how  to  make  a liv- 
ing. It  aims  higher  and  gives  scientific  vocational 
training  to  boys  of  good  family  and  education. 
The  students  are  not  taught  simply  the  mechanical 
art  of  making  a chair,  but  the  excellencies  or  de- 
fects of  the  wood,  varnish,  and  pattern.  In  cotton 
weaving  a study  is  made  of  cotton;  in  the  foundry, 
of  iron  and  steel.  Opportunity,  too,  is  aflforded  for 
the  boys  to  develop  whatever  inventive  skill  they 
may  possess.  To  this  school  the  government  is 
handing  over  the  twelve  hundred  wooden  chests 
which  contained  the  burned  opium  to  be  used  in 
making  furniture.  Who  would  not  like  to  own  a 
piece  of  furniture  made  with  the  wood  from  one 
of  these  chests! 

Industrial  work  for  girls  is  not  omitted.  There 
are  numerous  strictly  industrial  schools,  govern- 
ment and  private,  or  schools  where  half  a day  is 
given  to  books  and  the  other  half  to  industries. 
Nearly  all  of  the  normal  schools  have  a course  in 
domestic  science  and  other  vocational  branches. 


148  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

A description  of  the  work  done  at  the  normal 
school  in  Nanking,  which  is  one  of  the  best,  will 
serve  as  a sample.  The  two  hundred  students 
are  taught  plain  sewing,  besides  various  kinds  of 
fancy  work,  the  making  of  straw  hats  and  bamboo 
chopsticks,  gardening,  poultry  raising,  home  book- 
keeping, and  cooking.  A small  building  with  four 
rooms,  parlor,  dining-room,  bed-room,  and  kitchen, 
is  set  aside  in  which  to  teach  housekeeping.  Four 
students  in  relays  occupy  it  a week  at  a time  and 
do  all  the  work  that  pertains  to  a home,  marketing, 
cooking,  dish-washing,  and  entertaining. 

The  students  have  adopted  a little  girl  whose 
tuition  in  the  kindergarten  of  the  adjoining  prac- 
tise school  is  paid  for  out  of  their  pin  money. 
They  take  entire  charge  of  the  child  and  a happier, 
healthier  little  tot  it  would  be  hard  to  find.  Once 
when  visiting  this  school  the  teacher  who  showed 
me  around  happened  to  mention  that  one  of  the 
branches  she  taught  was  etiquette. 

“Any  particular  kind  of  etiquette?”  I asked. 

“Well,”  she  replied  with  a smile,  “ to-day  I lec- 
tured to  the  class  on  ‘ How  to  treat  a husband  ’.” 

Last  summer  the  principal  of  a girls’  school  in 
Shanghai  was  appointed  by  the  Minister  of  Educa- 
tion to  spend  several  years  studying  vocational 
education  in  Japan,  America,  and  Europe.  She 
was  the  first  Chinese  woman  to  receive  such  a 
commission. 


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THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  149 


Is  Compulsory  Education  Possible  in  Chinaf 

The  world  war  has  had  a most  stimulating  effect 
upon  education  in  China.  In  the  words  of  one  of 
its  college  presidents,  the  Chinese  are  convinced 
anew  after  what  has  happened  in  Russia,  “ that 
universal  education  which  insures  the  moral  and 
mental  strength  of  all  the  people  is  the  chief  source 
of  a nation’s  strength.”  Unfortunately,  during  the 
political  upheavals  of  the  past  year  government 
funds  that  should  have  gone  into  educational  work 
have  been  curtailed  or  diverted  to  other  purposes, 
while  many  schoolhouses  have  been  forcibly  oc- 
cupied by  the  soldiers,  and  schoolbooks  and  furni- 
ture wantonly  destroyed.  But  the  Peking  govern- 
ment has  ordered  that  restitution  be  made  both  of 
school  buildings  and  school  money.  Education  in 
China  is  not  yet  compulsory;  it  is  to  be  one 
of  the  chief  subjects  of  discussion  at  the  next 
annual  meeting  of  the  National  Educational  As- 
sociation. 

As  we  consider  the  constant  vigilance  that  is 
necessary  to  enforce  the  school  laws  in  America, 
it  does  not  require  much  imagination  to  realize 
the  tremendous  difficulties  in  the  way  of  introduc- 
ing compulsory  school  attendance  in  China.  Com- 
pulsory education  in  its  very  essence  demands  a 
stable  government  capable  of  exercising  the  com- 
pulsion. Over  large  sections  of  the  country  local 
authority  is  not  sufficiently  well-organized  to  carry 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


150 

out  such  a policy,  even  though  a national  assembly 
might  decree  it.  The  prime  obstacle  to  any  such 
scheme  of  education  is  to  be  found,  of  course,  in 
the  economic  conditions  that  have  been  sketched 
in  earlier  chapters.  Not  only  would  the  burden  of 
taxation  necessary  for  the  support  of  an  adequate 
number  of  schools  be  very  grievous,  but  the  labor 
of  the  children  is  urgently  required  by  their 
families.  Little  boys  and  girls  begin  to  work  al- 
most as  soon  as  they  can  walk. 

How  can  the  parents  be  brought  to  see  that 
education  of  the  children  will  mean  in  the  end 
still  greater  resources  and  a better  country  for 
all?  Such  support  on  the  part  of  the  people  is 
necessary  to  the  success  of  any  plan  for  enforc- 
ing school  attendance,  and  yet  it  will  readily  be 
seen  that  public  opinion  cannot  be  reached  in  China 
as  it  can  be  in  Western  lands.  Public  opinion  can 
scarcely  be  said  to  exist. 

Another  question  to  consider  in  this  connection 
is  the  extent  to  which  the  educational  program  is 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  China.  Is  it  so  related  to 
the  conditions  of  the  country  and  so  well-suited  to 
give  the  training  Chinese  life  demands,  that  the 
authorities  may  hope  to  win  as  far  as  possible  the 
backing  of  the  nation  for  compulsory  school  laws? 
These  are,  in  brief,  a few  of  the  far-reaching  prob- 
lems that  Christian  educators  are  trying  to  help 
China  to  solve  as  she  attempts  to  give  hf^’’  oeople 
larger  educational  opportunities. 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  151 


Nation-wide  Planning  for  Christian  Education 

Now  a few  words  about  missionary  educational 
work.  It  is  hard  to  realize  in  these  days  with  so 
many  students  clamoring  for  admittance  at  the 
doors  of  the  mission  schools  as  to  make  necessary 
a selective  process,  that  there  could  ever  have 
been  a time  when  it  was  hard  to  get  pupils.  Little 
girls  had  to  be  paid  to  attend,  even  hair  oil  being 
furnished  free  in  at  least  one  school!  The  policy 
of  union  is  more  and  more  followed  in  the  higher 
institutions.  Besides  a number  of  strong  denom- 
inational universities  and  colleges,  there  are  now 
five  union  universities:  they  have  been  established 
at  Peking  and  Tsinanfu  in  the  North;  Chengtu  in 
the  far  West;  Nanking  in  Central  China,  and  Foo- 
chow in  southern  China.  Two  union  colleges  for 
women.  The  North  China  Union  Woman’s  College 
in  Peking,  and  Ginling  College,  which  is  younger, 
in  Nanking,  have  exceeded  the  hopes  of  their  most 
ardent  supporters.  In  June,  1919,  Ginling  College 
will  graduate  its  first  class  of  girl  graduates.  Six 
young  women  are  looking  forward  to  definite  work 
for  the  uplift  of  their  race. 

For  a time  missionary  education  threatened  to 
be  rather  top-heavy,  the  lower  schools,  which  were 
to  be  the  feeders  of  the  higher,  not  being  propor- 
tionately strong  and  numerous.  But  this  fault  is 
being  corrected.  Day-schools  are  at  last  receiving 
the  attention  they  deserve.  It  used  to  be  thought 


152 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


that  any  sort  of  a place  was  good  enough  to  house 
a little  day-school,  and  if  mission  funds  were  short, 
and  some  work  had  to  suffer,  it  was  usually  the 
day-school.  But  there  is  now  a better  understand- 
ing of  relative  values,  and  we  have  come  to  see 
that  the  once  almost  despised  little  day-schools 
are  the  foundation  of  our  whole  educational 
system,  and  if  they  are  not  strong  the  edifice  will 
fall.  Day-schools  in  good  buildings,  well  lighted 
and  ventilated,  sanitary,  with  a capable,  trained 
teacher  in  charge, — this  is  the  rule  now.  Only  a 
short  time  ago  graduates  of  grammar  schools 
would  have  turned  away  in  disdain  at  the  idea  of 
teaching  a day-school,  but  now  most  of  them  are 
only  too  glad  to  get  such  a position.  In  Nanchang 
every  day-school  teacher  but  one  is  a high  school 
graduate. 


Why  Mission  Schools? 

It  may  occur  to  some  to  ask,  since  Chinese  gov- 
ernment schools  are  so  good,  what  justification  is 
there  for  mission  schools?  Two  very  important 
reasons  why  they  are  needed  may  be  named.  Tak- 
ing the  population  of  China  at  one  of  the  lowest 
figures  given,  only  one  tenth  of  those  of  school  age 
are  in  school,  4,000,000  instead  of  40,000,000.  If 
a law  for  compulsory  education  was  enforced  to- 
morrow, China  would  need  at  once  1,000,000 
more  schools,  and  1,500,000  additional  teachers. 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  IS3 


Where  would  she  get  them?  If  there  is  a short- 
age now  what  then  would  be  her  condition? 

Mission  schools  are  needed  because  of  their 
Christian  influence.  Ethics  are  taught  in  non- 
Christian  schools  but  as  a Baptist  missionary 
teacher  well  says,  “ Giving  all  credit  to  the  ethical 
standard  set  before  the  students  by  Confucius, 
where  can  they  get  the  mental  concept  of  absolute 
purity,  truthfulness,  and  righteousness  except  as 
we  all  must,  from  the  Man  of  Galilee?  ” Through 
the  daily  chapel  exercises,  the  weekly  religious 
meetings,  the  special  evangelistic  services  held 
from  time  to  time,  and,  above  all,  the  influence  of 
the  life  and  character  of  the  missionary  teachers, 
seed  is  sown  that  cannot  fail  to  yield  a rich  harvest. 

Shall  China’s  young  people  go  to  Western  coun- 
tries for  their  college  education?  As  I have  trav- 
eled about  China  I have  everywhere  sought  the 
opinion  of  Chinese  and  foreigners  regarding  this 
much  discussed  matter.  Without  a single  excep- 
tion as  far  as  I can  recall,  the  unhesitating  reply 
has  been,  “ Do  not  send  under-graduates.  When 
the  schools  in  China  were  fewer  and  not  so  good 
it  was  necessary,  but  that  time  has  past.  Give 
students  the  best  that  they  can  get  at  home,  then 
those  who  show  promise  of  becoming  leaders  and 
whose  habits  and  character  are  established,  may  go 
to  foreign  universities  for  post-graduate  work  and 
the  broadening  effect  of  travel.”  The  prevailing 
opinion  is  that  students  who  go  West  in  their 


154 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


youth  forfeit  a thorough  grounding  in  the  Chinese 
language;  they  come  back  foreignized  and  out  of 
touch  with  things  Chinese. 


A Foreign-Mission  Task  at  Home 

It  is  a sad  fact  that  too  often  the  young  Chinese 
who  have  been  educated  from  childhood  in  mission 
schools,  slip  their  moorings  when  they  go  to 
America  or  Europe.  But  how  many  could  be 
saved  if  more  Christian  families  would  open  their 
doors  in  friendly  hospitality  to  these  homesick 
boys  and  girls ! Probably  nine  out  of  ten  of  the 
young  men  and  women  who  return  to  China  sound 
in  the  faith,  if  asked  what  steadied  them  in  the 
midst  of  the  distractions  and  temptations  of  the 
New  World,  would  reply,  “The  influence  of  the 
Christian  home  where  I was  entertained.” 

The  Christian  people  of  North  America  may 
well  consider  it  a highly  important  part  of  their 
foreign  missionary  task  to  seek  out  the  foreign 
students  who  are  living  in  their  communities  and 
to  give  them  the  helpful  friendship  of  which  so 
many  of  them  are  in  need.  Too  often  the  only 
influences  that  have  touched  these  young  men  and 
young  women  have  come  from  those  forces  in  our 
western  civilization  of  which  we  are  least  proud. 
To  make  sure  that  the  best  influences  reach  them 
— the  church  and  all  that  the  church  stands  for — 
is  the  kind  of  intelligent  hospitality  demanded. 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  15S 


In  view  of  the  opportunities  that  these  young  peo- 
ple will  have  in  the  positions  of  far-reaching  re- 
sponsibility that  they  will  fill  on  their  return  home, 
such  an  interest  during  their  sojourn  abroad  is  ex- 
tremely important. 

How  are  returned  students  going  to  link  up  with 
life  and  conditions  in  China,  after  years,  perhaps, 
spent  abroad?  Many  come  back  with  too  radical, 
revolutionary  views,  expecting,  as  one  phrased  it, 
“ to  turn  China  upside  down  within  a year.”  Some 
who  meet  with  discouragements  in  their  efforts 
at  reform,  according  to  another,  are  too  easily 
“ crumpled  up.”  Others  are  tempted  to  regard 
themselves  too  highly  and  are  not  satisfied  with 
humble  beginnings.  The  students  are  the  hope 
and  expectation  of  the  China  that  is  to  be.  From 
them  will  come  most  of  her  future  leaders;  but  we 
need  not  be  anxious,  the  returned  students  are 
finding  themselves.  Last  March  in  Peking  there 
was  held  a two-day  conference  of  the  Western 
returned  students  of  North  China.  They  did  not 
come  together  to  have  a good  time.  No  one  was 
asking,  “How  can  I make  the  most  money?”  or 
“ How  can  I get  the  most  pleasure  out  of  life?  ” but 
“How  can  I use  my  education  to  help  China?” 
The  conference  members  were  determined  to  set 
in  motion  forced  which,  as  Mr.  David  Yui,  General 
Secretary  of  the  Young  Men’s  Christian  Associa- 
tion put  it,  “ will  cause  the  people  of  China  to  hear 
the  voice  of  the  returned  student  echo  throughout 


156 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


the  land  as  a voice  that  is  able  and  willing  to  lead.” 
Plans  are  already  made  for  a national  alliance  of 
all  the  returned  students  in  China,  and  when  the 
host  unites  for  action  it  will  speak  in  such  re- 
sounding tones  that  the  whole  nation  will  be  com- 
pelled to  listen! 


Fewer  Letters  and  Fewer  Illiterates 

The  crowning  recent  achievement  in  the  educa- 
tional world  of  China  is  the  new  system  of  phonetic 
writing.  One  cause  of  the  illiteracy  is  the  great 
difficulty  of  learning  to  read  and  write.  Authori- 
ties differ  as  to  the  number  of  characters  which 
the  Chinese  language  contains.  There  are  prob- 
ably about  twenty-five  thousand  characters  which 
are  really  sanctioned  by  good  usage.  In  order  to 
read  standard  works  a knowledge  of  10,000  separate 
characters  is  required;  while  for  the  ordinary  pur- 
poses of  life  it  is  necessary  to  know  3,000  or  4,000. 
Not  only  are  the  characters  numerous,  but  they 
are  complex  in  form.  Three  years  ago  the  minis- 
try of  education  invited  a committee  of  sixty 
Chinese  to  Peking  to  consider  the  matter  of  sim- 
plified writing.  After  numberless  unworkable 
schemes  had  been  brought  forward  and  rejected, 
all  finally  agreed  on  a phonetic  system  of  writing 
with  an  alphabet  of  thirty-nine  letters.  By  this 
method  the  illiterate  can  learn  to  read  in  a few 
weeks  or  at  the  most  a few  months.  The  blessing 


Courtesy  of  Mrs.  Frederick  G.  Mead. 


The  first  class  of  graduates  from  Ginling  College. 

The  procession  of  Ginling  College  Students  on  Founders  Day. 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION  157 


this  will  be  in  a country  where  not  over  ten  per 
cent,  of  the  men  and  one  per  cent,  of  the  women 
can  read,  and  still  fewer  can  write,  may  be  guessed. 

To  take  advantage  properly  of  the  opportunity 
which  opens  before  the  educational  leaders  of 
China  as  a result  of  the  perfecting  of  the  phonetic 
system  is  a task  of  great  proportions.  Practically 
no  literature  exists  in  which  this  system  is  em- 
ployed. Translations  and  new  manuscripts  are 
needed  in  abundance.  Calls  for  more  literature  of 
high  standard  have  come  from  many  mission  fields 
in  recent  years.  Such  a call  now  comes  from  China 
with  peculiar  urgency  because  of  the  possibilities 
that  this  latest  development  opens  up.  We  can 
scarcely  comprehend  what  it  will  mean  in  the 
evangelization  of  China.  Dr.  G.  H.  Bondfield,  of 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  in  China, 
says  that  at  a high  estimate  only  forty  per  cent,  of 
the  Chinese  Christians  can  now  read  the  Bible, 
while  with  the  new  phonetic  writing  fully  ninety 
per  cent,  will  be  able  to  read  it. 


VII 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS 


j‘4 


CHAPTER  VII 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS 

Perhaps  no  system  of  education  developed  by 
any  nation  has  ever  been  more  successful  in  ac- 
complishing its  purpose  than  the  old  Chinese  sys- 
tem which  was  outlined  in  the  preceding  chapter. 
Its  aim  was  the  maintenance  of  the  established 
social  order  without  change,  just  as  it  had  come 
down  from  the  days  of  the  ancient  sages  whose 
works  were  studied  and  whose  precepts  were  fol- 
lowed to  the  exclusion  of  all  else.  Stability — in 
the  family,  in  the  state,  in  the  religious  life — this 
was  the  end  for  which  the  huge  structure 
of  Chinese  classical  scholarship  existed.  Then 
there  came  the  influences  of  the  new  ideals  in  edu- 
cation as  we  have  noted.  Advance  toward  hitherto 
unrealized  aspirations  for  the  future,  education  as 
training  for  service  in  behalf  of  the  nation — these 
are  the  aims  young  China  is  setting  for  herself  in 
her  new  system.  In  this  chapter  we  are  to  observe 
somewhat  more  in  detail  than  we  have  been  able 
to  do  before,  several  of  the  outstanding  social  move- 
ments that  indicate  the  degree  of  success  which 
is  attending  the  recent  efforts  in  modern  education. 
What  is  being  accomplished  in  an  age  whose 
watchword  is  progress  instead  of  stability? 

i6l 


i62 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


Reaching  the  Nation’s  Mind 

First,  we  may  well  consider  the  pressing  and 
fundamental  need  for  the  creation  of  public  opin- 
ion. At  present  there  can  scarcely  be  said  to  be 
any,  certainly  none  of  a national  character.  If  it 
existed,  nine  tenths  of  China’s  troubles  would  dis- 
appear like  mist  before  the  rising  sun.  But  a 
change  is  coming;  it  started  some  years  ago,  but 
China  is  big  and  populous,  and  it  takes  time  for 
reforms  to  register  results.  The  voice  of  the  peo- 
ple is  soon  going  to  be  articulate,  and  when  it  is 
once  heard  in  the  land,  selfish,  unprincipled  politi- 
cians will  awake  to  the  realization  that  their  un- 
disputed rule  has  reached  an  end. 

The  development  in  China  of  the  chief  agency 
in  forming  public  opinion,  the  public  press,  has 
been  phenomenal.  There  are  now  between  400 
and  500  newspapers,  although  200  hardly  deserve 
the  name.  These  have  been  started,  as  a Chinese 
editor  said,  “ for  the  sole  object  of  furthering  the 
interests  of  some  official  or  airing  the  views  of  a 
political  party.”  Of  the  rest,  some  that  are  very 
creditable  have  barely  one  hundred  subscribers; 
while  the  subscription  list  of  others  runs  up  to 
2,000.  A few  of  the  Chinese  dailies  have  gained 
a well-earned  reputation  and  are  excellent  sheets. 
Among  these  the  Shun  Pao,  published  in  Shang- 
hai, is  one  of  the  oldest  and  best.  It  prints  30,000 
copies  a day;  9,000  being  circulated  in  Shanghai, 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  163 

and  the  rest  distributed  very  widely  over  the  coun- 
try. The  Shun  Pao  recently  moved  into  new 
quarters,  a handsome,  four-story  building  with  a 
roof  garden  in  the  heart  of  the  business  section  of 
the  city.  The  plant  is  thoroughly  equipped  with 
the  most  approved  presses  and  a complete  photo- 
graphic outfit;  indeed,  with  everything  that  an 
up-to-date  newspaper  ought  to  have  to  make  it 
efficient.  Its  editor  is  a Christian. 

In  the  summer  of  1918.  the  Committee  on  Public 
Information  of  the  United  States  sent  a representa- 
tive to  China,  Mr.  Carl  Crow.  Mr.  Crow  opened 
an  office  in  Shanghai  and  began  sending  world- 
wide wireless  news  daily  to  251  newspapers  all 
over  China.  It  was  blazing  a new  trail,  for  up  to 
this  time  few  if  any  papers,  outside  of  several  of 
the  large  cities,  published  foreign  news, 

Mr.  Crow’s  work  did  not  end  there.  He  has 
fully  five  hundred  American  agents  scattered  over 
China.  Through  these  agents  he  has  secured  the 
names  of  15,000  prominent  men — the  list  will 
eventually  be  augmented  \o  as  many  as  50,000 — 
civil  and  military  officials,  members  of  Chambers 
of  Commerce,  merchants,  educators,  old-time 
scholars,  and  students.  To  these  people  from  time 
to  time  is  sent  news  that  does  not  get  into  the 
papers.  Mr.  Crow  now  proposes  to  further 
broaden  his  work  by  adding  to  the  political  news 
furnished  to  the  Chinese  dailies,  items  on  public 
health,  industrial  development,  popular  science 


164 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


and  education,  also  a correspondence  course.  To 
help  popularize  the  new  simplified  writing,  some 
of  the  articles  will  be  written  in  the  phonetic  char- 
acters, which  will  make  it  necessary  for  newspaper 
compositors  to  learn  them. 


The  Influence  of  Christian  Literature 

A strong  factor  in  the  creation  of  public  opinion 
in  China  is  the  Commercial  Press,  the  largest  pub- 
lishing house  in  the  Far  East.  The  story  of  the 
beginning,  growth,  and  present  achievements  of 
this  remarkable  concern  is  one  of  absorbing  in- 
terest. Founded  by  three  Christian  men,  it  has  un- 
questionably done  more  to  influence  thinking  and 
encourage  modern  education  than  any  other  secular 
agency.  Its  school  primers  are  sold  at  a low  price 
to  bring  them  within  the  easy  reach  of  all.  It  was 
the  Commercial  Press  that  published  President 
Wilson’s  principal  war  addresses  in  a neat  little 
volume  which  quickly  became  one  of  the  best  sell- 
ing books  in  China.  Mr.  Crow  bought  15,000  to 
send  gratis  to  his  constituency. 

In  addition  to  schoolbooks  and  general  literature 
with  which  it  floods  the  country — as  many  as 
1,000,000  copies  of  some  of  its  text-books  are  sold 
annually — the  Commercial  Press  publishes  eleven 
magazines,  the  latest  on  the  list  being  the  Indus- 
trial Monthly,  whose  first  number  appeared  in  Jan- 
uary, 1919.  One  of  its  periodicals  is  a magazine 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  165 

for  women,  a Chinese  Woman's  Home  Journal, 
which  was  for  a year  edited  by  a woman.  It  re- 
ceives many  contributions  from  women,  and  dis- 
cusses all  the  practical  subjects  that  are  of  special 
interest  to  women. 

Frequent  debates  in  the  schools — government 
and  mission — on  live  current  topics,  are  not  only 
stimulating  the  students’  interest  in  national  and 
world  movements,  but  teaching  them  to  form  and 
express  an  opinion.  I have  heard  educators  say 
that  the  study  of  civics  should  begin  in  the  primary 
schools. 

Christian  literature,  in  the  way  of  books,  tracts 
and  periodicals,  has  a powerful  influence  in  affect- 
ing not  only  religious  thought,  but  the  secular  life 
and  opinions  of  the  people.  The  publications  of 
the  Christian  Literature  Society,  which  are  more 
particularly  for  the  scholar  class,  had  much  to  do 
in  shaping  the  liberal  policy  of  the  progressive 
party  before  and  after  the  Boxer  Rebellion.  Two 
denominational  magazines,  the  Woman  s Messenger 
and  Happy  Childhood,  count  among  their  warmest 
friends  many  non-Christians,  who  feel  China’s 
need  of  just  such  broadening,  helpful  literature. 
A high  official  in  Peking  wrote  the  editor  of 
Happy  Childhood,  “ INIake  me  a subscriber  for  thirty 
copies.  I should  like  to  see  the  magazine  in  thou- 
sands of  homes.”  A merchant  prince  said  of  the 
Woman's  Messenger,  “1  read  it  as  regularly  as  do 
my  wife  and  daughters.” 


i66 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


For  Others  Instead  of  for  Merit 

Another  of  the  striking  movements  in  Chinese 
life  to-day  is  the  organization  of  constructive 
social  service  activities  in  many  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. This  work  assumes  such  a variety  of  forms 
and  is  conducted  under  the  auspices  of  so  many 
different  agencies  that  it  is  not  possible  to  attempt 
a complete  treatment  of  this  fascinating  subject. 
Only  a few  typical  illustrations  can  be  given. 

Many  cruelties  are  practised  in  China,  yet  the 
heart  of  the  Chinese  is  naturally  kind.  Last  year 
when  there  was  a wreck  on  the  Yangtsze  River 
and  hundreds  of  Chinese  drowned,  some  poor  crea- 
tures who  managed  to  reach  the  shore  were  pricked 
with  the  bayonets  of  soldiers  waiting  to  rob  them 
of  their  jewels  and  money.  In  contrast  to  this,  a 
Chinese  family  living  near  the  scene  of  the  disaster 
opened  their  doors  to  succor  the  refugees.  Among 
them  came  a foreigner,  whose  wet  clothing  was 
exchanged  for  dry  garments — even  shoes  were  pro- 
vided— from  the  scant  family  store;  food  and 
hot  tea  were  given,  and  a board  bed  made  for  him 
in  the  living-room.  No  remuneration  was  ex- 
pected or  desired.  The  old  idea  in  China  in  con- 
nection with  the  dispensing  of  alms  was  to  store 
up  merit.  Christian  workers  are  teaching  the 
New  Testament  command,  to  do  good  for  the  love 
of  God  and  humanity;  the  quick  response  of  the 
Chinese  has  been  heart-warming,  and  the  practise 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  167 

of  Christian  social  service  is  already  exercising  a 
transforming  influence  upon  society.  Many  mis- 
sion schools  of  all  grades  and  classes  are  making 
social  service  an  important  part  of  their  schedule. 
Day-  and  night-schools  are  run ; industrial  work 
carried  on;  reading-rooms  and  playgrounds 
opened;  entertainments  provided,  and  Sunday  ser- 
vices for  old  and  young  conducted. 


Helpful  Service  for  Flood  Sufferers 

The  floods  last  year  in  North  China  gave  stu- 
dents an  opportunity  to  render  a unique  service. 
The  floods  came  in  the  fall,  but  for  many  months 
it  was  necessary  to  care  for  the  helpless  refugees. 
In  the  spring  a call  for  help  was  sent  from  southern 
Chihli  to  the  students  of  the  North  China  Union 
Bible  Institute  of  Peking.  At  once  many  young 
men  hastened  to  answer  it.  Soon  another  call 
went  out  to  the  women  in  the  Peking  Union  Wo- 
man’s Training  School.  Not  many  weeks  were 
left  before  commencement.  To  sacrifice  those 
precious  weeks  of  study  and  the  long-anticipated 
joys  of  commencement  day,  meant  a great  deal  to 
the  graduating  class,  but  every  one  of  the  fourteen 
volunteered  for  service.  The  work  awaiting  these 
men  and  women  was  not  easy.  In  the  midst  of 
great  hardships  they  kept  accounts;  gave  out 
stores;  superintended  industries;  taught  school; 
nursed  the  sick;  cared  for  children,  and  held  ev- 


i68 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


angelistic  meetings.  Instead  of  two  months,  they 
stayed  five,  and  Vv^hen  they  did  finally  return  to 
Peking,  missionaries  have  said  there  was  a new 
light  in  their  faces  and  a new  purpose  in  their 
hearts.  The  sacrifice  had  brought  its  reward. 

The  students  of  the  North  China  Union  Wo- 
men’s College  asked  to  have  forty  refugee  chil- 
dren sent  to  them  in  Peking.  A suitable  house  for 
lodging  the  waifs  was  rented  near  the  college,  and 
for  nine  months  the  students  took  charge  of  it, 
doing  all  the  work  and  bearing  the  entire  expense 
themselves.  They  learned  economy,  for  accounts 
had  to  be  kept  and  ends  made  to  meet.  They  had 
many  practical  lessons  in  child  culture  while  caring 
for  their  little  charges.  They  were  taught  the 
value  of  the  minutes,  for  their  studies  could  not  be 
neglected.  Best  of  all  they  came  to  know  the 
blessedness  of  leading  souls  to  Christ. 

The  New  Interest  in  Child  Welfare 

China  in  the  past  has  had  her  charitable  in- 
stitutions, and  in  most  of  the  large  cities  there 
could  be  found  at  least  three  of  these:  a home  for 
old  men,  a home  for  old  women,  and  a refuge  for 
foundlings.  With  scarcely  an  exception  such 
places  were  miserably  cheerless,  dirty,  and  un- 
sanitary. Money  in  abundance  was  in  many  cases 
subscribed  for  their  maintenance,  but  a large  part 
of  it  went  into  the  pockets  of  a host  of  unscrupu- 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  169 

lous  intermediaries.  Under  the  inspiration  of  the 
new  spirit  of  service,  public  and  private  philan- 
thropies are  taking  on  an  entirely  different  complex- 
ion. Orphanages,  industrial  schools  for  the  poor, 
a refuge  for  kidnapped  children,  free  hospitals, 
free  day-schools,  and  similar  institutions  are 
springing  up  in  many  places;  they  are  nearly  al- 
ways clean,  comfortable,  and  well-managed.  Some 
of  these  institutions  are  under  Christian  influences; 
those  that  are  not  at  least  give  an  ethical  teaching 
and  so  their  moral  influence  is  good.  A few  years 
ago  young  men  came  to  Shanghai  from  sixty  dif- 
ferent districts  in  the  province  of  Kiangsu  to  take 
a four  months’  course  in  physical  culture.  They 
took  this  training  in  order  that  when  they  went 
back  to  their  homes  they  might  open  playgrounds 
and  direct  the  play  of  the  children  intelligently. 

The  Boy  Scout  movement  is  very  popular  in 
China.  In  the  summer  of  1917  nearly  two  hun- 
dred primary  teachers  from  Kiangsu  province  at- 
tended a three  weeks’  course  for  scoutmasters  in 
Shanghai.  Not  long  ago  I had  a practical  illustra- 
tion of  the  good  results  of  scout  training.  I was 
on  the  street  trying  to  get  a kodak  picture  for 
this  book.  I was  carrying  my  kodak-case,  um- 
brella, gloves,  and  purse,  which  I could  not  put 
down  on  the  ground,  of  course;  so  I was  having 
a hard  time  in  securing  my  picture.  Just  then 
some  boy  scouts  chanced  my  way;  they  instantly 
grasped  the  situation  and  before  I could  raise  my 


170  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

head  they  were  at  my  side  offering  their  help. 
They  held  my  things,  kept  off  the  curious  bystand- 
ers, and  in  giving  their  aid  they  acted  like  little 
gentlemen.  It  would  never  occur  to  the  average 
Chinese  boy  to  run  to  the  assistance  of  any  one 
without  being  called. 


A Better  Chance  for  Prisoners 

One  of  the  most  radical  changes  of  the  present 
day  is  prison  reform.  The  prisons  of  the  past 
century  are  described  as  so  bad  that  the  English 
equivalent  of  the  name  which  the  Chinese  gave 
them  was  hell.  It  was  a current  saying  that  who- 
ever went  in  at  the  front  door  was  carried  out  at 
the  back,  where  there  was  a square  hole  just  large 
enough  for  a coffin  to  slip  through.  Several  years 
ago  I visited  a prison  in  Nanchang.  The  prison- 
ers were  herded  together  like  cattle  in  small,  filthy 
cells,  with  no  occupation,  no  change,  and  no  hope 
for  the  inmate  apparently.  While  in  Nanchang 
recently  I wanted  to  visit  that  prison  again,  but 
found  that  it  had  been  torn  down  since  the  new 
one  was  built. 

Old-style  prisons  still  exist  in  China  but  every 
capital  city  now  has  its  model  prison,  and  they  are 
to  be  found  in  some  smaller  cities  also.  Peking 
and  Tientsin  lead  off  with  the  largest  and  finest. 
Most  of  the  new  prisons  were  built  after  the  Re- 
volution in  1911  which  brought  in  its  train  so 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  171 

many  needed  reforms.  Cleanliness,  sanitation, 
discipline  with  mildness,  light  and  air,  plain  hut 
abundant  food,  facilities  for  bathing  and  frequent 
changes  of  clothing,  daily  out-door  exercise, — and, 
above  all,  ample  provision  for  healthful  and  varied 
occupation, — are  some  of  the  marks  of  the  modern 
prison.  Sentences  are  commuted  for  good  be- 
havior, and  small  sums  are  paid  for  work  done  in 
the  shops.  This  money  is  divided  each  month  and 
half  the  amount  is  kept  to  be  given  to  the  prisoner 
on  his  release;  the  other  half  is  sent  to  his  family. 

A serious  defect  in  the  new  prison  system,  but 
one  which  is  sure  to  be  corrected,  is  the  lack  of 
adequate  employment  for  women.  The  prisons 
in  Peking  and  Tientsin  are  the  only  ones,  as  far 
as  I know,  that  furnish  it  to  any  appreciable  ex- 
tent. In  Hangchow  I found  ten  or  twelve  women, 
some  of  them  with  nursing  infants,  crowded  into 
a cell  measuring  not  more  than  twelve  by  four- 
teen feet.  They  had  no  employment.  The  crime 
which  sends  very  many  of  the  women  to  prison 
is  kidnapping  young  children  to  sell  as  slaves;  or, 
if  the  children  taken  are  boys,  they  sell  them  to 
families  who  have  no  sons.  Missionaries  are  al- 
lowed access  to  most  of  the  prisons.  In  Peking 
Chinese  pastors  from  the  different  missions  hold 
services  in  the  several  prisons  once  or  twice  a 
week.  The  last  time  I visited  the  new  prison  I 
saw  Chinese  Bibles  and  hymn-books  in  a number 
of  the  cells.  The  warden  stated  frankly  that 


172 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


though  a Buddhist  priest  held  a service  in  the 
prison  every  Sunday  he  was  not  able  to  interest 
the  men. 


Improved  Conditions  Among  Industrial  Workers 

The  life  of  employees  and  apprentices  in  China 
has  been  a proverbially  hard  one.  Long  hours, 
which  might  mean  eighteen  or  even  twenty  out  of 
the  twenty-four,  and  harsh  if  not  cruel  treatment, 
were  their  portion.  More  than  once  in  passing 
along  the  street  I have  been  arrested  by  piercing 
screams,  and  discovered  that  some  child  was  being 
beaten  unmercifully  by  the  man  to  whom  he  was 
apprenticed.  But  here  again,  old  conditions  are 
gradually  but  surely  giving  way  to  new  and  better 
ones.  The  change  is  most  marked  in  many  of  the 
large  business  houses  and  industrial  plants,  where 
particular  attention  is  paid  to  the  social  welfare 
of  the  employees.  In  connection  with  the  Han- 
yang Steel  and  Iron  Works  there  is  a library,  club 
house,  hospital,  tennis  courts,  athletic  field,  and 
schools  for  the  children  of  the  employees.  The 
Yangtsze  Engineering  Works,  in  addition  to  the 
above  features,  employs  a graduate  Chinese  nurse, 
a mature  woman  of  most  winning  personality,  who, 
besides  superintending  the  day-schools  for  the  em- 
ployees’ children,  visits  the  homes  of  employees; 
conducts  mothers’  meetings,  and  makes  herself 
generally  beloved  and  useful. 


Pic.is  lilushating  Scrx  icc. 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  173 

A factory  in  Hankow,  in  which  eggs  are  desic- 
cated for  export,  was  recently  visited  by  a govern- 
ment factory  expert  from  Great  Britain.  This 
gentleman  commented  on  the  cheerful,  intelligent 
faces  of  the  women  employees  and  compared  them 
with  the  less-favored  appearance  of  the  unem- 
ployed. He  added  that  he  had  seen  only  one 
factory  in  England  where  the  “ hands  ” could 
compare  with  these  in  cleanliness,  neatness,  and 
seemly  behavior. 

The  Commercial  Press,  which  was  one  of  the 
first  establishments  to  introduce  social  welfare,  be- 
sides day  and  night  schools,  is  especially  consider- 
ate in  its  treatment  of  women  employees,  and  from 
time  to  time  receives  as  beneficiaries  boys  from 
the  Deaf  and  Dumb  School  in  Chefoo  and  from 
the  Reformatory  in  Shanghai  to  train  as  appren- 
tices. 

All  the  large  department  stores  furnish  free 
medical  attendance  to  their  employees;  pay  for 
their  dentistry;  provide  coffins  for  the  dead,  and 
share  in  the  expense  of  the  funeral.  But  it  is 
not  only  the  large  corporations  which  are  interest- 
ing themselves  in  social  service.  The  pro- 
prietor of  a modest  business  house  in  Tientsin,  who 
has  accepted  Christianity,  not  only  looks  after  the 
welfare  of  his  employees,  but  has  taken  twenty 
boys  of  the  flood  refugees  under  his  care.  He 
sends  them  to  school  in  the  morning;  gives  them 
a good  meal  at  noon;  and  in  the  afternoon,  dressed 


174 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


in  neat  uniforms  which  he  provides,  they  go  out 
with  trays  of  notions  to  sell,  receiving  a commis- 
sion on  the  profits. 


The  Needs  of  the  Mill  Workers 

There  are  thousands  of  employees  in  the  great 
cotton-mills  where  the  noise  of  the  throbbing  en- 
gines never  ceases  day  or  night.  Most  of  the  mill- 
hands  are  women  and  children  yet,  strangely 
enough,  less  is  being  done  for  their  social  better- 
ment than  for  any  other  class  of  employees.  Until 
the  law  for  compulsory  education  in  the  lower 
schools  is  enforced,  and  while  the  struggle  to  earn 
a livelihood  is  so  great,  there  is  not  much  prospect 
that  child  labor  will  be  discontinued.  I never  see 
the  brilliantly  lighted  windows  of  the  mills  along 
the  river  front  in  Shanghai  without  pity  filling  my 
heart  for  the  wide-eyed  little  ones  watching  the 
spindles  who  ought  to  be  enjoying  the  dreamless 
sleep  of  childhood. 

I am  well  acquainted  with  the  owner  of  a very 
old  mill,  a man  of  noble  spirit,  who  is  one  of  the 
best  Christians  I ever  knew  either  in  China  or 
any  other  country.  He  opens  his  doors  to  shelter 
homeless  boys;  makes  his  beautiful  lawn  a play- 
ground for  poor  children ; gave  land  on  which  to 
build  a free  school  in  his  neighborhood;  yet,  when 
it  comes  to  his  mill-hands,  much  as  he  longs  to 
help  them,  he  seems  baffled  by  difficulties  which 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  175 

he  sees  no  way  at  present  of  surmounting.  He 
told  me  a short  time  ago  that  he  was  planning  to 
change  the  twelve-hour  shift  to  one  of  eight  hours, 
making  three  shifts  instead  of  two  during  the 
twenty-four  hours.  “ But  when  I do  that,”  he 
said,  “one  of  the  shifts  will  come  in  the  middle 
of  the  night  and  women  and  children  cannot  go  to 
and  from  the  mill  then.  I must  build  homes  for 
them  in  the  vicinity  of  the  mill,  but  where  shall 
I get  the  land?  There  is  not  the  smallest  plot  for 
sale  in  my  neighborhood.”  This  employer  is  eager 
to  help  the  workers.  The  labor  question  is  one  of 
many  problems  in  China  as  elsewhere. 

It  hurts  one  most  of  all  to  see  little  girls  in  the 
silk  filature  mills,  standing  hour  after  hour  wash- 
ing cocoons  in  basins  of  boiling  water.  Their  faces 
are  blanched  and  dripping  with  perspiration  from 
the  excessive  heat  which  is  necessary  in  the  apart- 
ments where  the  fine  silk  is  spun.  Women  and 
children  who  go  at  nightfall  with  depleted  vitality 
from  a temperature  of  118  or  120  F.  into  the  pene- 
trating chill  of  a Shanghai  winter  easily  contract 
colds  which  end  in  tuberculosis.  The  National 
Young  Woman’s  Christian  Association  of  China  is 
hoping  in  the  near  future  to  bring  out  a social 
worker  from  America  to  start  work  among  the 
women  and  children  in  the  Shanghai  mills. 
Chinese  women  are  already  in  training  for  it,  for 
this  is  a work,  that  to  be  successful,  must  be 
largely  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese. 


1/6 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


The  Protection  of  Family  Life 

China  has  her  national  social  reformers  and  one 
of  the  best  known  is  Mr.  Yung  Tao,  of  Peking. 
Mr.  Yung  inveighs  against  three  evils,  immorality, 
concubinage,  and  gambling.  He  began  his  public 
work  in  1915  just  after  Japan  had  made  her  notori- 
ous Twenty-one  Demands  on  China.  Mr.  Yung 
was  convinced  that  most  of  China’s  troubles  could 
be  traced  to  her  moral  weakness,  and  with  utter 
fearlessness,  in  public  and  in  private,  wherever 
and  whenever  he  could  get  a hearing,  he  attacked 
vice  in  high  places  and  low.  As  might  have  been 
expected  he  soon  found  himself  in  prison,  from 
which  he  was  finally  released  through  the  efforts 
of  foreign  friends.  Mr.  Yung  later  took  up  his 
residence  in  Tientsin  where  my  husband  and  I saw 
him  one  morning. 

“ I am  waiting  here.  For  the  present  my  hands 
are  tied,”  he  said  with  a sad  smile.  Abruptly 
changing  the  subject,  he  continued,  “ I am  just 
moving.  My  neighbor  across  the  way  has  twelve 
concubines  besides  his  legal  wife.  Every  night  he 
brings  ‘ Singing  Girls  ’ to  the  house,  and  this 
neighborhood  has  become  so  unpleasant  I must 
leave  it.” 

We  remained  silent  while  Mr,  Yung  gazed 
thoughtfully  out  of  the  window.  Presently  he 
spoke  again. 

“ The  strength  of  a nation  is  in  the  family  life 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS 


177 


and  it  is  very  corrupt  in  China.  We  must  cut  away 
the  weeds  before  the  good  grass  will  grow.” 

I thought  of  a sweet  girl,  educated  in  a mission 
school,  who  was  forced  to  marry  the  youth  to  whom 
she  had  been  betrothed  in  childhood,  and  com- 
pelled to  live  in  a family  where  there  was  a mother- 
in-law  and  seven  concubines,  really  eight  mothers- 
in-law.  One  of  her  schoolmates  saw  the  girl  a 
year  or  two  later  and  asked  if  she  was  enjoying 
her  new  home.  The  young  wife  looked  for  an 
instant  silently  into  her  friend’s  face  and  then  al- 
most hissed  her  answer,  “ It  is  hell!  ” 


The  New  Woman  in  China 

No  social  change  during  the  past  fifty  years  can 
compare  in  magnitude  and  importance  with  the 
growth  of  Chinese  womanhood  into  a position  of 
independence  and  influence  such  as  was  never 
dreamed  of  in  China.  Woman’s  emancipation  has 
brought  its  attendant  dangers,  especially  since  the 
Revolution.  The  frail  bark  of  the  New  Woman 
of  China  is  sailing  between  Scylla  and  Charybdis; 
between  prison  bars  on  one  side  and  unbridled 
liberty  on  the  other,  and  only  as  she  commits  her 
life  to  the  care  of  the  Divine  Pilot  can  she  be  sure 
of  reaching  in  safety  her  desired  haven. 

The  changes  that  the  years  have  brought  affect 
a girl  from  the  time  of  her  birth.  Much  used  to 
be  said  about  the  destruction  of  Chinese  baby 


1/8 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


girls.  It  may  be  many  are  still  killed.  But  I have 
traveled  quite  extensively  over  China  during  the 
past  ten  years  and  have  seen  only  a single  “ Baby 
Tower,”  and  that  a local  missionary  assured  me 
was  used  chiefly  as  a depository  for  the  bodies  of 
infants  who  had  died  a natural  death.  A few  years 
ago  in  Nanchang  I noticed  small  oblong  boxes 
painted  blue  nailed  here  and  there  to  walls  at  the 
side  of  the  streets.  I was  told  that  they  were 
public  receptacles  for  babies.  At  once  I looked 
at  them  with  new  interest  and  all  sorts  of  sad 
scenes  presented  themselves  to  my  imagination. 

” I suppose  that  the  little  things  die  very  soon 
after  they  are  placed  in  the  box?  ” I remarked  pen- 
sively to  the  longtime  missionary  who  was  my 
companion. 

“ It  is  not  likely  that  a living  baby  is  ever  left 
in  one  of  these  boxes.  No,  nor  a baby  that  has 
been  put  to  death,”  she  said,  anticipating  my  next 
question.  “ It  is  not  customary  to  buy  coffins  for 
infants,  so  the  little  dead  bodies  are  laid  in  these 
boxes  to  be  carted  away  and  buried  by  the  city.” 

When  in  Nanchang  recently  I looked  in  vain  for 
the  baby  boxes.  They  had  all  disappeared. 

I had  a neighbor  some  time  ago  a non-Chris- 
tian man  who  was  the  father  of  six  little  daughters 
and  one  baby  boy.  As  each  successive  girl  was 
born,  the  man’s  sister,  who  was  childless,  tried 
hard  to  induce  him  to  give  her  the  child.  The 
father’s  invariable  reply  was,  “ Why  should  I ? 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS 


179 


I love  her!”  Non-Christian  fathers  like  this  may 
be  counted  by  the  thousand  in  China. 

A few  Sundays  ago  I met  for  the  first  time  in 
our  Cantonese  church  a man  who  was  surrounded 
by  little  folks  and  who  held  a baby  in  his  arms. 
As  I put  my  hand  on  the  soft  baby  cheek,  I asked, 
“A  boy?”  “No,  a girl.  I am  the  happy  father 
of  six  girls,”  and  the  man  smiled  broadly  as  he 
glanced  affectionately  around  at  his  flock.  This 
was  a Christian  father. 

“ If  as  many  girl  babies  were  destroyed  in 
China  as  some  of  our  Western  friends  seem  to 
think,  I wonder  where  China  would  get  her  moth- 
ers,” observed  an  eminent  missionary  doctor  with 
dry  humor. 


"Golden  Lily”  Feet  'Are  Beginning  to  he  Unpopular 

Foot-binding  is  by  no  means  a thing  of  the  past. 
In  many  sections,  especially  in  the  interior,  it  is 
still  in  existence  and  it  may  continue  to  be  prac- 
tised for  many  years  to  come.  But  there  is  a 
strong  sentiment  against  it  which  is  constantly 
spreading.  In  the  large  port  cities  there  are  in- 
creasing numbers  of  young  men  who  would  not 
consent  to  marry  a girl  with  bound  feet.  I cannot 
recall  ever  seeing  a child  in  a government  school 
with  bound  feet,  though  they  may  have  been  but 
recently  unbound,  and,  of  course,  there  are  no 
bound  feet  in  mission  schools.  The  popularity  of 


i8o  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

physical  training  is  making  bound  feet  impossible. 
Imagine  a girl  with  “ Golden  Lilies  ” trying  to 
engage  in  a game  of  volley  ball  or  tennis! 

The  old  idea,  which  originated  with  Confucius, 
that  a girl  must  not  be  taught  to  read  and  write 
because  learning  would  unfit  her  for  her  sole 
avocation  in  life,  which  was  to  marry  and  bear 
children,  is  getting  so  out  of  date  as  to  be  some- 
thing of  a curiosity.  It  is  still  met  with  at  times 
and  in  most  unexpected  places.  Not  long  ago  a 
Tientsin  gentleman,  himself  a scholar  and  ap- 
parently a fond  father,  assured  his  American 
callers,  politely  but  firmly  that  he  could  not  think 
of  sending  his  daughters  to  school  as  education 
was  not  intended  for  girls.  Girls  whose  conserva- 
tive fathers  refuse  to  give  them  an  education  often 
find  warm  champions  in  their  brothers,  who  insist 
that  their  sisters  shall  have  a modern  training  and 
send  them  to  school  at  their  own  expense. 

It  is  interesting  to  see  hoW  the  advanced  Chinese 
student  of  to-day,  after  the  manner  of  her  sisters 
in  the  West,  is  beginning  to  specialize  in  certain 
favorite  subjects,  it  may  be  in  biology,  history, 
literature,  or  music.  It  is  quite  common  for  star 
pupils  in  music  to  give  a recital  just  before  their 
graduation.  A young  bride,  now  in  Tientsin, 
shortly  before  her  marriage  gave  a recital  in  aid 
of  the  North  China  flood  sufferers.  She  acquitted 
herself  most  creditably  and  netted  a good  sum  of 
money  from  her  large  and  appreciative  audience. 


(C)  Prcsf  llhis’rntiiig  Scnicc. 

The  Chinese  Red  Cross  rendered  a spletulid  service  for  tlie  Allied  armies  in  France. 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  i8i 

Western  Marriage  Customs  Not  Wanted 

It  would  perhaps  be  too  much  to  say  that  the 
custom  of  child  betrothal  is  dying  out,  yet  it  is 
not  nearly  as  general  as  it  was  a few  years  ago. 
Heartbreaking  cases  still  occur  occasionally  where 
young  people,  Christian,  educated  and  refined,  are 
forced  into  unhappy  marriages  because  of  early 
betrothal.  But  parents  are  becoming  more  en- 
lightened and  lenient,  and  their  sons  and  daughters 
are  rising  up  in  defense  of  their  own  rights  in  a 
way  that  cannot  be  disregarded. 

When  it  comes  to  a discussion  of  the  manner  of 
courtship  thoughtful  Chinese  are  of  but  one  opin- 
ion. “The  customs  of  the  West  will  not  fit  the 
Far  East,  at  least,  not  now,”  they  say.  “ Give 
our  young  people  an  opportunity  to  get  acquainted 
under  proper  chaperonage,  but  let  the  marriage 
contract  be  arranged  by  a go-between.”  The 
mother  of  a gifted  young  daughter,  a returned 
student,  who  had  spent  a year  recently  in  New 
York  City,  expressed  her  views  on  this  subject  to 
me  when  I saw  her  in  Canton. 

“ In  America  young  men  and  women  lightly 
plight  their  troth  and  lightly  break  it.  In  China 
betrothal  is  as  binding  as  marriage.  Among 
Christians  in  China  I should  like  to  see  betrothal 
made  a sacred  ceremony.  Let  the  young  man  go 
to  the  home  of  the  girl  he  wishes  to  marry,  and  in 
the  presence  of  as  many  as  ten  witnesses,  declare 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


182 

his  love  and  produce  the  engagement  ring.  Then 
in  order  to  show  that  the  event  is  sacred,  let  the 
contract  be  sealed  with  a prayer.” 

At  another  time  Mrs.  L.  said  to  me : “ It  grieves 
me  to  see  that  many  of  our  young  people,  in  their 
desire  to  copy  the  ways  of  the  West,  are  beginning 
to  talk  very  flippantly  about  divorce.  They  call  it 
‘ stylish.’  There  is  an  old  Chinese  adage  which 
should  never  be  forgotten : ‘ No  grass  will  grow  on 
the  spot  where  a decree  for  divorce  has  been 
signed 

In  some  of  the  more  enlightened  circles  a girl  is 
no  longer  required  to  marry  against  her  will.  If 
she  chooses  to  remain  single  and  be  independent 
and  self-supporting,  she  may  do  so  with  honor. 
There  are  many  such  young  women  in  China  to- 
day; Christian  women  engaged  in  religious  and  in 
secular  work,  and  humanly  speaking,  we  cannot 
see  how  they  could  be  spared  from  the  places  they 
fill  so  well.  But  China  needs  Christian  homes; 
she  needs  them  more  than  almost  anything  else, 
and  when  I see  a new  Christian  home  set  up,  I 
sing  a little  song  of  praise.  In  many  non-Christian 
homes  there  is  genuine  affection  and  respect  be- 
tween husband  and  wife,  and  parents  and  children. 
But  such  a home  does  not  rest  on  a sure  founda- 
tion. A man  who  has  been  a very  kind  husband 
may  suddenly  decide  to  bring  into  the  family  a 
secondary  wife,  and  thus  sow  the  seeds  of  discord 
and  unhappiness. 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  i8j 

The  Spirit  of  Christian  Home  Life 

The  tender,  unashamed  consideration  shown  by 
many  a Christian  husband  for  his  wife  is  one  of  the 
most  beautiful  developments  of  these  later  years. 
“ I don’t  enjoy  going  out  unless  I have  Margaret 
with  me,”  declared  one.  “Isn’t  Jennie  a wonder- 
ful little  business  woman?  I don’t  know  how  I 
ever  got  along  without  her!”  said  another.  “I 
always  stay  away  from  the  office  Saturday  after- 
noon in  order  to  take  my  family  to  the  park,”  con- 
fided a Peking  editor,  and  on  the  next  day  I saw 
him  returning  home  with  his  wife  and  children; 
his  wife  in  the  first  ricksha,  sitting  at  ease — the 
orthodox  way  is  for  the  husband  to  lead — and  at 
the  end  of  the  little  procession  was  the  editor 
holding  the  baby. 

A young  husband  returning  to  China  after  sev- 
eral years  of  post-graduate  study  in  America, 
passed  through  Shanghai  on  his  way  to  his  home. 
“ I suppose  you  are  anxious  to  see  your  wife  and 
children,”  I remarked  to  him.  To  my  surprise  he 
pulled  his  watch  out  of  his  pocket  and  holding  it 
before  me  said  with  an  unmistakable  ring  in  his 
voice,  “ I am  almost  counting  the  minutes  before 
I shall  see  them ! ” A husband  was  being  con- 
gratulated by  a foreign  friend  on  a degree  he  had 
just  received  from  an  American  university. 
“ Thank  you,”  he  said,  “ but  I keep  wishing  my 
wife  could  have  had  my  opportunities.  She  is 


i84 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


much  brighter  than  I am  and  would  have  made  so 
much  more  of  them.”  The  honest  look  in  the 
young  man’s  face  as  he  said  the  words  made  it  im- 
possible to  doubt  their  sincerity. 

Chinese  women  can  do  many  things  well.  I 
have  seen  them  with  modest  womanliness  but 
poised  and  self-possessed  address  audiences  largely 
composed  of  men;  I have  heard  them  charm  with 
their  singing;  I have  watched  them  preside  over 
meetings  and  conduct  religious  services;  I have 
listened  to  a woman  address  the  members  of  a 
city  Chamber  of  Commerce  on  temperance  and 
speak  with  such  conviction  that  every  man  present 
afterward  expressed  a desire  to  sign  the  pledge.  I 
noted  how  at  a banquet  given  in  honor  of  this 
temperance  leader  by  a group  of  officials’  wives, 
she  kindly  but  firmly  declined  the  wine  cup,  al- 
though she  knew  that  as  she  was  the  guest  of 
honor  Chinese  etiquette  made  it  impossible  for 
any  one  else  to  drink  at  that  feast.  Best  of  all,  I 
know  Chinese  women  as  loving,  devoted  mothers, 
bringing  their  children  up  in  the  fear  and  admoni- 
tion of  the  Lord.  What  gracious  hostesses  they 
can  be,  piquant  in  conversation,  winsome,  and 
meeting  whatever  emergency  may  arise  with  ever 
ready  tact! 

Do  not  get  the  idea  that  all  the  attractive  homes 
are  in  the  cities  and  among  the  student  class.  Some 
of  the  very  happiest  and  best  I know  are  hidden 
away  in  distant  parts  of  the  interior,  where  the 


TPTREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS  185 

members  of  the  family  have  not  been  out  of  China 
or  even  very  far  away  from  where  they  live. 

The  Christian  homes  of  China  are  evangelizing 
centers  whose  influence  cannot  be  estimated.  A 
young  couple  in  Hangchow  conduct  a Sunday- 
school  for  street  children  in  their  own  home. 

“ You  aren’t  afraid  these  children  will  injure 
some  of  your  pretty  things?”  I asked  them. 

“ Oh,  no,”  was  the  smiling  answer. 

“ I am  sure  that  you  are  a great  help  to  your  hus- 
band in  this  work,”  I said,  turning  to  the  wife. 

“It  is  my  wife’s  work.  I help  her!”  corrected 
the  husband  laughingly. 

A woman,  whose  husband  is  manager  of  a large 
industrial  plant,  began  long  ago  to  mother  the 
young  apprentices  who  were  away  from  home.  She 
keeps  two  living  with  her  family  all  the  time  and 
invites  in  eight  or  ten  others  for  every  week-end. 
A dormitory  has  been  added  to  the  house  for  their 
special  use.  On  Saturday  evenings,  she  told  me, 
they  have  music  and  games  or  she  reads  to  the  boys 
or  her  husband  gives  them  a simple  talk  on  hygiene 
and  health.  They  fitted  up  a room  in  their  house 
for  a chapel  and  hold  a service  there  every  Sunday 
morning.  After  dinner  it  is  understood  by  the 
boys  that  their  hostess  is  ready  for  a quiet,  personal 
talk  with  any  one  who  wishes  to  see  her.  They  tell 
her  their  troubles  and  secrets  and  receive  sympathy 
and  advice.  “ Do  you  have  any  conversions  among 
these  boys?”  I asked  her  once.  “Yes,  indeed! 


i86 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


Every  one  of  these  young  people  who  have  come 
into  our  home  has  accepted  Christianity,  and  a 
number  are  doing  Christian  work.” 


The  Widening  Horizon  of  Chinese  Womanhood 

Too  much  cannot  be  said  in  praise  of  all  that 
is  being  done  for  women  by  the  Young  Women’s 
Christian  Association  through  its  religious,  educa- 
tional and  physical  work,  by  means  of  its  social 
institutes,  patriotic  clubs,  its  lectures,  and  enter- 
tainments. It  is  constantly  discovering  latent  tal- 
ents, developing  leaders,  and  placing  before  the 
women  new  ideals  of  the  Christian  life  and  Chris- 
tian service. 

A few  years  ago  the  government  normal  school 
for  girls  in  an  inland  city  had  a Field  Day  with  a 
very  elaborate  program.  The  last  number  was  a 
pageant  which  represented  the  development  of  the 
women  of  China.  A long  procession  moved  slowly 
around  the  grounds  in  front  of  the  spectators,  show- 
ing women,  appropriately  costumed,  in  all  ages 
from  the  most  primitive  times  down  to  the  present. 
But  what  held  the  rapt  attention  of  the  audience 
was  the  presentation  of  the  women  of  the  future, 
for  there  were  not  only  doctors,  nurses,  and  teach- 
ers, but  mail-carriers  on  bicycles,  judges,  news- 
paper editors,  and  aviators.  It  was  a marvelous 
pageant  and  will  long  be  remembered. 

Christianity,  too,  has  its  dreams  and  visions. 


THREE  SOCIAL  TRANSFORMATIONS 


187 


Here  comes  another  procession  and  the  audience  is 
the  world.  As  the  women  draw  near  we  see  that 
they  move  with  difficult,  uncertain  steps,  their 
shoulders  bent,  their  eyes  lusterless.  Some  have 
scars  on  their  flesh  and  wear  an  expression  of 
fright  and  pain.  But  soon  we  observe  a change  in 
the  younger  women.  They  walk  more  easily  and 
their  faces  shine  with  gladness.  Troops  of  little 
children  skip  merrily  beside  them.  Presently  the 
number  of  happy  ones  increases  to  a great  company 
and  among  them  we  distinguish  evangelists,  doc- 
tors, nurses,  teachers,  writers,  social  workers,  and 
wives  and  mothers  with  babies  nestling  in  their 
arms.  One  in  their  midst  holds  aloft  a banner  on 
which  is  emblazoned  a cross  and  as  with  uplifted 
faces  they  swing  along  with  firm  but  elastic  tread, 
we  catch  the  words  of  their  swelling  chorus, 

“ Behold  we  come,  our  womanhood  is  waking. 
Before  us  break  and  fall  the  rusting  bars ; 

We  stand  at  last  where  fadeless  morn  is  breaking, 
Our  feet  upon  the  stars. 

“ Before  our  eyes  undreamed  horizons  widen. 

The  shadows  vanish  and  the  vapors  shift; 

And  from  the  mists  where  we  have  long  abiden, 

We  Chinese  women  claim  the  perfect  gift!  ” 


VIII 

THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA 


CHAPTER  VIII 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA 

During  an  anti-opium  meeting  held  in  Martyrs’ 
Memorial  Hall  in  Shanghai,  I chanced  to  sit  next 
to  the  wall  on  which  were  the  brass  tablets  bear- 
ing the  names  of  the  Christians  who  perished 
in  the  Boxer  Rebellion.  I had  often  seen  these 
tablets  before,  but  on  that  afternoon,  for  some  rea- 
son, they  held  my  gaze  in  a peculiar  way.  One 
tablet  is  inscribed  with  the  names  of  foreigners, 
231  men,  women,  and  children;  the  others  bear  the 
names  of  nearly  two  thousand  Chinese  martyrs, 
but  the  list  is  not  complete  because  none  but  God 
will  ever  know  how  many  lost  their  lives  during 
that  awful  summer  of  bloodshed  and  horror.  As  I 
studied  the  tablets  it  was  borne  in  upon  me  with 
fresh  conviction  that  never  again  would  Chinese 
believers  be  called  “ rice  Christians.”  Their  stead- 
fastness in  the  face  of  death  when  in  most  cases 
recantation  would  have  saved  them  has  made  for- 
ever impossible  the  opprobrious  epithet. 

There  lives  in  Shanghai  a man  whose  father, 
mother,  sister,  and  brotlier  suffered  martyrdom  in 
their  native  village.  He  was  at  the  time  a young 
theological  student  in  Peking.  When  ready  to  go 

191 


iga  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

out  to  preach  he  asked  to  be  sent  to  his  home  vil- 
lage. The  missionaries  were  astonished. 

“ Surely  not  there,”  they  expostulated,  “ after 
all  that  has  happened ! ” 

“Yes,  it  is  there  I wish  to  go,”  was  his  quiet 
answer.  “ I want  to  preach  Christ  to  the  murder- 
ers of  my  family.” 

So  this  brave  young  student  went,  and  many 
souls  in  that  place  were  added  to  the  kingdom.  It 
is  typical  of  what  is  happening  all  over  China.  The 
spirit  of  the  man  who  wanted  to  preach  to  those 
whom  he  might  have  treated  as  enemies  is  a spirit 
running  through  the  Christian  churches  of  China. 
It  is  furnishing  the  power  for  one  of  the  great 
religious  movements  of  modern  times. 


The  “Open  Door”  of  Chinas  Religious  Life 

Christianity  at  first  made  slow  progress  among 
the  Chinese.  Robert  Morrison  labored  seven  years 
before  baptizing  his  first  convert.  In  Foochow  it 
took  ten  years  of  preaching  to  bring  a single  soul 
to  Christ.  But  at  last  the  tide  turned.  A short 
time  ago  I asked  a Presbyterian  missionary,  who 
has  been  long  in  China,  what  he  considered  the 
most  promising  sign  of  the  times.  With  scarcely 
a moment’s  hesitation  he  replied,  “ The  changed 
attitude  of  the  people  toward  missionaries  and  their 
message.  It  is  only  a few  years  ago  that  whenever 
we  went  on  the  street,  ‘Foreign  Devil!  Foreign 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA 


193 


DAYBREAK  IN  CHINA 


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im «■■!■■— ■■■■ML 

4L.3\iaHaaissi^l^95itH^^^Haas^ 
!■■■■■■■■==§,  ::'^as9^a^B^^^Bk 
UBiBnBiea^ik^s9araillB^&. 
Bsaasnaani^riirAfi^B^mnnnr 
.gia»Baaaai!aiaaiiMagaaaaaaaaa» 
lasaanBramiilanaaaaaaap 


'inaaaaaaBaaBaBBnnam^ 
MsaaaaaaaKarasBainvaar 

[■■■■■■■■■aaaaaaBaBaiBr 

^BBBBBaaBaBBBBBBaaR^ 
IBBBBr 'BBaBBBBVrRP^ 


cs  = Total  Protestant  Christian  Constituency  654|656 
(Communicants  3l2»970). 


K = One  Million  Persons 
From  China  Mission  Year  Book,  1918. 


194  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

Devil!’  was  shouted  at  us.  Now  the  words  are 
hardly  ever  heard  even  in  the  most  unfrequented 
parts  of  the  interior.  The  Chinese  gladly  listen  to 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel  and  are  singularly 
receptive  and  open-minded.” 

On  Sherwood  Eddy’s  visit  to  China  in  1918,  he 
said,  “Never  was  there  a time  in  China  when 
things  looked  so  dark  politically  or  so  bright  reli- 
giously; so  dark  for  the  government  or  so  bright 
for  the  Christian  church.” 

Is  it  not  significant  that  some  of  the  strongest 
political  leaders,  the  heads  of  many  of  the  large 
business  corporations,  prominent  newspaper  edi- 
tors, principals  and  teachers  in  government  schools, 
and  influential  doctors  are  out  and  out  Christians, 
while  numberless  others  are  sympathetic  in  their 
attitude? 

There  is  now  a considerable  group  of  men  of 
prominence  who  are  presenting  Christ  boldly  to 
their  countrymen.  Among  these,  for  example,  is 
a leading  member  of  the  Southern  government, 
and  former  Minister  of  Justice  in  the  North,  who 
proclaims  everywhere  that  Jesus  Christ  alone  can 
save  China.  This  man  teaches  each  Sunday  a large 
Bible  class  composed  of  members  of  Parliament, 
professional  men,  and  scholars. 

A Southern  parliamentary  leader,  and  vice- 
speaker of  the  first  Senate,  said  before  a large 
gathering  of  foreigners  and  Chinese,  “ China  needs 
Christ,  and  the  best  contribution  we  can  give  to  the 
rebirth  of  the  nation  is  to  bring  Jesus  Christ  to  the 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA 


195 


people.  There  is  a growing  sense  among  our  lead- 
ers all  over  the  country  of  their  powerlessness  to 
make  the  country  stronger  and  better,”  Then  who 
can  count  the  host  of  silent  believers,  timid  souls 
that  have  not  dared  to  confess  their  faith?  The 
principal  of  a government  normal  school  suddenly 
leaning  toward  the  missionary  sitting  beside  her  in 
the  train  whispered  so  as  not  to  be  overheard, 
“ More  of  us  are  Christians  in  heart  than  you 
dream  of ! Sometime  you  will  see ! ” 

The  Christian  Approach  to  the  Educated  Classes 

At  one  period  in  the  history  of  China,  when 
Jesuit  influence  was  strong  in  the  capital,  it  looked 
from  the  human  side  as  if  only  a small  circum- 
stance kept  the  whole  empire  from  becoming  Chris- 
tian. Many  now  believe  that  China  is  on  the  eve 
of  a religious  awakening  such  as  has  never  been 
known  before.  Men  like  Dr.  Eddy  predict  that  she 
may  be  one  of  the  great  Christian  countries  of  the 
world.  The  idealism  of  the  Chinese  makes  them 
peculiarly  susceptible  and  responsive  to  spiritual 
influences.  The  past  century  of  seed  sowing  has 
done  its  work  and  the  magnitude  of  our  God-given 
opportunities  is  almost  appalling.  How  are  we  to 
meet  them? 

At  the  time  of  the  Eddy  evangelistic  campaign 
in  1916  the  largest  buildings  were  too  small  to 
accommodate  the  crowds.  In  each  case  follow-up 


196  NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 

meetings  were  held  when  again  the  halls  were 
packed.  It  is  safe,  to  say  that  never  before  in 
China  had  Jesus  Christ  and  his  gospel  been  so 
much  talked  about,  thought  about  and  written 
about.  The  audiences  were  made  up  chiefly  of 
officials,  scholars,  gentry,  and  students.  Many 
accepted  Christianity  and  thousands  signed  cards 
to  join  classes  for  the  study  of  the  Bible.  It  was 
a wonderful  campaign.  Yet  neither  Dr.  Eddy 
nor  the  missionaries  were  satisfied.  It  was  after- 
ward found  that  scores  of  those  who  signed  cards 
had  done  it  to  be  “ polite,”  and  had  given  a false 
address  so  that  they  could  not  be  located.  More- 
over, the  dearth  of  trained  leaders  of  Bible  classes 
made  it  impossible  always  to  care  properly  for  the 
hundreds  who  did  attend  them. 

In  1918  the  campaign  was  conducted  on  differ- 
ent lines.  Instead  of  being  detached,  it  was  related 
to  the  churches  and  carried  on  under  the  direction 
of  local,  permanent  workers.  Crowds  might  easily 
have  been  secured  again  but  they  were  not  sought 
or  wanted.  The  appeal  was  not  to  the  non-Chris- 
tian masses  but  to  those  who  had  been  under  Chris- 
tian teaching  and  influence  and  were  prepared  to 
make  a decision.  The  fruit  gathered  this  time  was 
to  be  ripe  and  hand-plucked.  Rev.  Frank  Buch- 
man,  of  the  Hartford  School  of  Missions,  came  to 
China  months  in  advance  of  Dr.  Eddy  to  stress 
personal  work  and  help  organize  classes  for  train- 
ing personal  workers  and  Bible  class  teachers. 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA 


197 


When  the  campaign  opened  it  was  understood 
that  every  personal  worker  should  take  to  the  meet- 
ings one  non-Christian  friend,  sit  beside  that  per- 
son, and  when  the  opportunity  was  given  encourage 
him  to  make  a decision  and  afterward  steady  him 
in  the  new  life.  Intensive  work  followed  that  left 
its  burning  impress  on  the  heart  of  every  one  en- 
gaged in  it.  The  Chinese  teacher  of  a large  Bible 
class  rose  one  Sunday  morning  at  early  dawn,  and 
for  hours  poured  out  her  soul  in  an  agony  of 
prayer  for  the  conversion  of  her  scholars.  Later  in 
the  day  she  had  the  joy  of  seeing  twelve  of  them 
accept  Christ.  A book  could  be  filled  with  similar 
incidents. 


Christianity  and  Family  Life 

The  campaign  of  1918  differed  in  another  respect 
from  those  that  had  preceded  it.  Its  objective  was 
not  so  much  unrelated  individuals  as  families.  In 
the  campaign  of  1916  great  mass  meetings  had 
been  held  for  women  and  many  joined  Bible 
classes.  But  usually  the  women  converts  and  the 
men  converts  were  from  different  families.  A care- 
ful canvass  of  the  Christians  in  Shanghai  has  re- 
vealed the  startling  fact  that  only  thirty  per  cent, 
of  the  Christians  are  women.  This  means  that 
though  a father  may  be  a Christian  his  children  are 
brought  up  non-Christians  by  their  non-Christian 
mother.  Women  in  China  are  harder  to  reach 


200 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


upon  the  churches,  proposed  that  the  work  cul- 
minate annually  in  a special  week  of  evangelism, 
when  all  the  Christian  forces  should  mobilize  for  a 
united  effort.  The  week  immediately  following 
the  China  New  Year,  which  comes  in  February, 
was  suggested  as  the  best  time  for  this  work  as 
then  the  schools  would  be  closed  and  the  students 
free.  The  date  was  left  open  to  change  wherever 
local  conditions  made  it  desirable.  There  was  at 
once  an  encouraging  response  from  the  churches. 
All  China  is  feeling  the  onward  and  upward  sweep 
of  the  movement. 


In  Training  to  Win  Others 

Careful  plans  are  made  each  year  in  advance  for 
the  great  week.  Normal  classes  and  personal 
workers’  groups  are  formed,  church  members,  who 
have  never  known  what  it  was  to  lead  a soul  to 
Christ,  are  patiently  instructed;  dottage  meetings 
are  held;  special  music  is  practised;  literature  to  be 
distributed  is  sorted  and  studied;  and,  above  all, 
unceasing  prayer  ascends  to  God  for  his  blessing. 
The  morning  after  New  Year’s  day  the  workers  in 
each  center  gather,  a final  petition  is  offered  and 
then  the  flood  gates  are  thrown  open!  Meetings 
are  held  in  chapels,  shops,  temples,  on  the  streets 
and  in  private  houses.  Personal  interviews  are 
sought;  tracts  and  Bibles  sold.  The  aim  is  to  put  a 
Bible  in  every  house,  or  as  one  of  the  evangelists 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA  201 

expressed  it,  “ The  British  and  American  Tobacco 
Company  have  taken  as  their  aim,  ‘ A cigaret  in 
the  hands  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in 
China!  ’ why  can’t  we  make  ours,  ‘ A Bible  in  the 
hands  of  every  man,  woman,  and  child?  ' ” 

The  workers’  watchword  is,  “ Every  church 
member,  young  and  old,  a soul-winner,” — if  not 
in  a large  way,  at  least  among  one’s  own  kindred 
where  the  only  training  necessary  is  a genuine  heart 
experience.  Personal  workers  have  it  constantly 
impressed  upon  them  that  they  must  seek  first  to 
win  to  Christ  the  non-Christian  members  of  their 
families.  When  an  Episcopal  deaconess  in  China 
was  asked  by  her  bishop  what  examination  she 
would  suggest  giving  to  some  catechists  who 
wished  to  be  advanced,  she  promptly  replied,  “ An 
examination  on  their  families!”  She  meant  that 
the  real  test  of  efficiency  was  the  kind  of  evangel- 
istic work  the  catechists  had  been  doing  in  their 
homes. 

Many  boarding-school  students  return  to  their 
home  villages  or  towns  for  the  Week  of  Evan- 
gelism and  in  this  way  the  gospel  message  is  car- 
ried to  places  where  it  would  not  otherwise  be 
heard.  Thrilling  reports  are  sent  back  of  hungry 
souls  listening  spell-bound  to  the  story  of  Jesus, 
begging  for  ” more  ” and  still  ” more,”  till  it  is 
often  one  and  two  o’clock  in  the  morning  before 
they  reluctantly  disperse. 

Charles  Kingsley  has  said  that  “Action  paves 


202 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


the  way  for  motive  almost  as  much  as  motive  for 
action.”  If  any  begin  the  Week  of  Evangelism  a 
little  half-heartedly,  and  there  are  always  some 
who  do,  they  quickly  catch  the  contagion  from 
Spirit-filled  lives ; the  work  itself  does  the  rest. 

PROGRESS  OF  THE  CHINESE  CHURCHES 
During  years  1914-1917 


660 

764 

76t 

864 


Ordained  Pastors  {eaeh  section— 1,000) 


Employed  Workers  (each  section -1,000) 

1 1 I I ' 1 I I t ] I I I 

ES53iB5^^3ib5SSS 

Communicant  members  (each  section— 10,000) 


353.2  to 
268.652 
293.  S 39^ 
312.970 


18,194 

20,460 

21,753 

23,345 


Sunday  School  Scholars  (e^b  section— 10.000) 

) EEEEQbSE 

CsEZSSZSE  ■SSSEEpSipipitt 

2J0.397 


460,469 

626,108 

695,973 

654.658 


$383,114 

$450,349 

$469,580 

$546,787 


Total  Christian  Constituency  (each  section— 25.000) 


Contributions  to  Church  Work  (each  section— Mex  $25,000) 


From  China  Mission  Year  Book,  igi8. 


Only  the  Chinese  Can  Evangelise  China 

China  is  going  to  be  won  for  Christ — gloriously 
won.  But  ultimately  it  must  be  through  her  own 
people.  Even  if  it  were  conceivable  that  enough 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA  203 

missionaries  could  be  sent  to  China  to  evangelize 
400,000,000,  foreigners  are  hampered  and  handi- 
capped in  countless  ways . 

In  the  most  critical  stage  of  the  meetings  which 
Dr.  Eddy  held  in  Nanking,  in  1916,  he  was  taken 
sick.  The  leaders  were  dismayed.  Mass  meetings 
had  been  advertised  for  every  afternoon  and  even- 
ing. They  could  not  be  given  up.  But  what  was 
to  be  done?  It  was  finally  decided  to  ask  several 
Chinese  in  Shanghai  and  Hangchow  to  help  out. 
They  were  telegraphed  for  and  came.  The  crowd 
at  night  gathered  as  usual  and  packed  the  building. 
One  after  another  the  Chinese  spoke,  telling  the 
story  of  their  own  conversion  and  pleading  with 
impassioned  earnestness  for  their  hearers  to  accept 
Christ.  The  audience  fairly  held  its  breath  to 
listen ; the  place  was  stirred  as  by  a mighty,  rush- 
ing wind,  and  scores  expressed  a desire  to  study 
the  Bible.  That  meeting  was  a revelation  to  the 
foreigners. 

Once  while  I was  on  an  evangelistic  trip  with  an 
American  and  a Chinese,  we  stopped  in  a town  at 
sunset  to  hold  an  out-door  meeting.  The  people 
gathered  around  us,  shopkeepers,  policemen,  cool- 
ies, teachers,  and  mothers  with  babies  in  their  arms. 
The  foreigner  spoke  first.  She  was  a gifted,  ex- 
perienced evangelist;  she  threw  her  whole  soul 
into  her  message,  and  the  crowd  listened  wdth  deep 
attention.  Then  the  Chinese  woman  stepped  for- 
ward. She  was  so  short  she  had  to  stand  on  a 


204 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


table  to  see  and  be  seen.  Hardly  had  she  uttered 
her  first  sentence  before  a new  light  broke  over 
the  faces  around  her  and  the  people  pressed  closer 
so  as  not  to  lose  a word.  Presently  a man  said 
aloud,  “ She  is  one  of  us!  She  is  Chinese!  ” 

Yes,  that  was  just  it,  she  was  Chinese.  And 
missionaries,  though  they  may  have  lived  long  in 
China,  may  understand  the  people  well,  and  speak 
the  language  fluently,  are  in  the  end  still — 
foreigners. 


The  Development  of  a Chinese  Church 

“ The  Conquering  Church  in  China,”  I have 
called  this  chapter  because  that  is  the  church’s 
mission  and  character,  conquering  and  to  conquer. 
It  has  many  elements  of  strength;  it  has  some 
defects.  But  the  church  is  young  and  because  it  is 
young  it  is  plastic.  God  grant  that  in  these  critical 
times,  when,  as  a Chinese  scholar  expressed  it, 
“ The  atmosphere  is  aquiver  with  the  spirit  of 
change,”  the  church  may  be  set  in  the  right  mold! 

The  trend  of  the  church  is  more  and  more  away 
from  foreign  control  and  toward  an  independent 
organization,  self-supporting  and  self-governing. 
This  is  not  because  of  a dislike  for  foreigners,  but 
it  springs  from  a conviction  that  the  time  has  now 
come  when  the  Chinese  are  in  a position  to  move 
forward  and  assume  larger  leadership.  The  call 
is  for  an  indigenous  church,  not  one  imported;  for 


A group  of  the  clergy  at  the  consecration  of  Bishop  Tsae  Seng 
Sing  of  the  Anglican  Church  This  first  Chinese  bishop  is  the 
son  of  a clergyman  and  the  father  of  three  missionaries. 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA  205 

a religious  life  adapted  to  the  psychology  of  the 
Far  East  Dr,  C.  Y.  Cheng,  Chinese  Secretary  of 
the  China  Continuation  Committee,  splendidly 
voiced  the  general  thought  in  a paper  he  read  last 
summer  at  a missionary  conference.  “ Christianity 
in  China,”  he  said,  “ will  become  Chinese  Chris- 
tianity. We  are  to  present  Jesus  Christ  to  the 
people  not  as  a Jewish  Messiah,  or  a European 
Christ,  but  as  a real  Chinese  Savior.” 

There  are  in  China  a few  congregations,  of  com- 
paratively recent  date,  known  as  the  ” Chinese 
Christian  Church.”  Some  speak  of  them  as  the 
“ Independent  Church.”  The  Chinese  say  this 
name  is  misleading  inasmuch  as  foreigners  are  wel- 
comed in  the  councils  of  these  churches  in  an 
advisory  capacity.  Nor  do  they  like  another  term 
sometimes  used,  the  “ National  Church,”  for  as  the 
leaders  explain,  “ While  we  sincerely  hope  for  a 
truly  indigenous  church  free  from  foregin  control, 
every  believer  in  Christ,  no  matter  of  what  nation- 
ality, has  a right  in  the  Chinese  Church.”  This 
group  of  churches  has  attracted  to  it  many  of  the 
best  and  most  influential  men  and  women  in  North 
China.  In  Tientsin  the  present  church  building  has 
grown  too  small  for  the  congregation  and  a new 
and  more  commodious  one  is  to  be  erected.  Many 
Chinese  believe  that  these  churches  will  lead  the 
movement  for  a thoroughly  indigenous  Chinese 
church. 

The  self-supporting  and  self-governing  churches 


2o6 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


in  central  and  southern  China  in  most  cases  retain 
their  denominational  connections  with  the  bodies 
which  keep  their  western  names — Anglican,  Bap- 
tist, Presbyterian,  Methodist,  and  Lutheran.  In 
October,  1918,  in  the  Episcopal  “ Church  of  our 
Savior  ” in  Shanghai,  the  first  Chinese  bishop  was 
consecrated.  It  was  a most  impressive  service; 
the  laying  on  of  hands  being  by  seven  foreign 
bishops,  English,  Canadian,  and  American;  the 
sermon  was  preached  by  a Chinese.  The  new 
bishop  is  the  son  of  a clergyman  and  has  two  sons 
in  the  ministry,  and  one  who  is  a missionary  doctor. 


The  Chinese  Church  Will  Be  a Missionary  Church 

Whether  the  Chinese  church  of  the  future  is  to 
be  denominational  or  interdenominational,  that  is, 
composed  of  several  denominations  whose  church 
affiliations  naturally  draw  them  together,  only  time 
can  determine;  but  it  is  certain  to  be  self-organiz- 
ing, self-supporting,  and  self-governing.  The  ques- 
tion to-day  of  vital  moment  is.  Will  it  be  self-propa- 
gating? That  can  be  best  answered  by  asking 
another  question — Will  it  be  permeated  with  the 
evangelistic  and  missionary  spirit?  From  all  the 
present  signs  we  can  unreservedly  answer,  “ Yes!  ” 

In  mission  churches  where  foreign  influence  is 
still  largely  felt  more  of  the  work  is  being  relegated 
to  the  Chinese.  At  first  it  was  necessary  for  mis- 
sionaries to  carry  it,  and  the  Chinese  were  content 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA  207 

to  let  them,  but  of  late  they  have  been  growing 
restive  under  overmuch  foreign  supervision.  Mis- 
sionaries cannot  be  spared.  Never  were  they  so 
indispensable  as  now  to  give  encouragement,  ad- 
vice, and  loving  sympathy.  As  a mother  whose 
little  child  is  learning  to  walk  stands  near  with 
outstretched  arms  ready  to  catch  it  if  it  starts  to 
fall,  so  missionaries  must  be  on  the  alert  to  give 
help  when  needed  but  keep  their  hands  off  if  the 
infant  church  can  walk  alone. 

A new  emphasis  must  be  put  on  self-support. 
The  Chinese  are  generous  givers,  even  the  poor. 
Non-Christians  contribute  without  stint  to  their 
heathen  worship  and  Christians  are  just  as  ready 
to  give  to  the  support  of  the  church.  It  is  merely 
a matter  of  training.  Only  very  recently  a promi- 
nent Chinese  layman  said  to  me,  “ We  are  grateful 
to  our  foreign  friends  for  contributions  to  our  work, 
but  we  like  to  feel  that  the  responsibility  for  its 
support  rests  upon  us.  That  is  what  gives  our 
people  a genuine  interest  in  it.”  I have  been  told 
by  some  Chinese  that  they  refrained  from  joining 
a mission  church  for  fear  if  they  did  their  motive 
would  be  misconstrued  and  they  be  taken  for  rice 
Christians. 

The  Training  of  Christian  Leaders 

The  church  needs  an  educated  ministry.  The 
time  was,  when  any  Christian  man  who  expressed 
a willingness  to  preach  was  gladly  welcomed  by 


2o8 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


the  missionaries.  Many  of  these  poor  fellows,  with 
little  education  and  less  theological  training,  stum- 
bled along  blindly  doing  perhaps  the  best  that  they 
could,  but  sometimes  making  pretty  sorry  work  of 
their  calling.  I once  listened  to  a singular  address 
by  the  pastor  of  a large  church  in  an  inland  city.  It 
was  on  the  occasion  of  a Sunday  afternoon  meeting 
for  men  and  the  building  was  crowded  to  the  doors 
with  a fine,  intelligent-looking  audience.  I ex- 
pected a strong,  evangelistic  appeal,  but,  instead, 
this  is  the  substance  of  what  I heard:  “Foreign- 
ers have  brought  many  useful  things  to  China,  the 
telegraph,  the  telephone,  the  railroad.  These  are 
all  good.  The  foreigners  have  also  brought  the 
Western  religion  and  that,  too,  is  good.  How  many 
of  you  will  accept  it?  ” It  was  not  surprising  that 
the  response  was  small. 

China  has  Bible  institutes  for  training  students 
with  a moderate  education  to  be  preachers  and 
evangelists,  and  men  of  this  class  will  always  be  in 
demand  for  country  churches.  There  are  theolog- 
ical seminaries  whose  course  is  fuller  and  entrance 
requirements  considerably  higher.  Plans  are  now 
being  made  further  to  raise  the  standards  in  the- 
ological training  so  as  to  have  some  schools  which 
admit  college  graduates  only,  and  offer  as  complete 
a course  as  any  similar  institution  in  the  West. 
While  a short  time  ago  not  many  of  the  well- 
educated  and  promising  young  men  were  drawn  to 
the  ministry,  now  some  of  the  best  are  joining  its 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA 


209 


ranks.  Training  in  the  schools  leads  men  to  drop 
the  old-style,  discursive  harangue,  and  teaches 
them  how  to  drive  the  truth  home  in  a direct, 
practical  way.  They  are  taught  the  social  appli- 
cation of  Christianity,  and  this  is  a subject  which 
every  student  before  going  into  the  work  should 
thoroughly  master,  not  only  theoretically  but  by 
practical  experience.  Hundreds  of  country  pastors 
and  some  city  ones,  think  their  duty  is  done  when 
they  have  held  two  services  on  Sunday  and  a mid- 
week prayer-meeting.  The  idea  of  making  their 
field  a force  is  utterly  foreign  to  their  conception. 
A few  city  churches  are  beginning  to  take  on  insti- 
tutional features.  The  Union  Cantonese  Church 
(independent),  of  Shanghai,  supports  a day-school 
for  boys  and  girls;  has  a reading  room,  a kinder- 
garten, a young  men’s  club,  and  a small  dispensary, 
which  is  open  on  two  afternoons  a week.  Some 
mission  churches  have  become  active  social  cen- 
ters. Social  work  is  greatly  needed  in  the  country, 
but  not  much  can  be  done  till  more  men  and  women 
are  trained  to  direct  it. 


Preparing  Chinese  Women  for  Christian  Service 

With  some  notable  exceptions,  the  pastor’s  wife 
as  an  influence  for  good  in  the  parish  is  just  begin- 
ing  to  be  felt.  The  number  of  bound-footed,  illit- 
erate, non-Christian  wives,  whom  preachers  mar- 
ried because  they  had  been  betrothed  to  them  in 


210 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


childhood,  is  rapidly  lessening.  The  Bible  study 
and  social  service  which  are  now  to  be  found  as  a 
part  of  the  curriculum  of  every  mission  school  are 
instilling  new  ideals  into  the  hearts  and  minds  of 
the  girls  who  will  be  the  ministers’  wives  of  to- 
morrow. 

The  other  day  I met  a Bible  woman  who  was  a 
high  school  graduate.  Do  you  wonder  what  there 
is  strange  about  that?  Well,  the  type  is  so  differ- 
ent from  the  average  Bible  woman  of  former  days 
that  it  makes  the  fact  worth  mentioning.  A sort  of 
reproach  used  to  attach  to  Bible  women’s  training 
schools  because  most  of  the  women  attending  them 
were  old,  ignorant,  and  uncouth, — Christians,  of 
course,  but  often  without  much  else  to  recommend 
them.  Now  students  found  in  these  schools  are 
far  younger,  brighter,  and  more  capable.  The  very 
name  “ Bible  Woman,”  has  been  changed  to  “ Bible 
Evangelist.”  The  two  Union  Bible  training 
schools,  one  in  Peking  and  the  other  in  Nanking, 
which  offer  advanced  courses  in  Bible  study,  enroll 
among  their  pupils  some  of  the  finest  and  best 
educated  young  women  in  China. 

The  literacy  of  the  church  is  going  to  be  raised. 
I have  spoken  in  a previous  chapter  of  the  new 
phonetic  system  of  writing  and  what  it  will  mean 
in  the  evangelization  of  China.  Effort  is  now  being 
made  to  teach  all  illiterate  Christians  to  read  and 
it  is  hoped  that  they  in  turn  will  teach  the  new 
converts. 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA 


211 


Winning  and  Holding  the  Returned  Students 

An  educated  ministry  and  a less  illiterate  mem- 
bership will  help  largely  to  solve  the  acute  problem 
of  drawing  into  their  church  the  students  returned 
from  other  countries.  How  is  the  church  to 
win  and  hold  these  splendid  young  people  upon 
whom  depends  to  a great  extent  the  future  weal  or 
woe  of  China?  China  does  not  want  class  churches 
but,  on  the  other  hand,  educated  men  and  women 
are  not  attracted  to  churches  where  there  is  noth- 
ing for  them  in  the  sermon  and  in  which  they  find 
no  congenial  social  life.  Then,  too,  there  are  the 
Christian  officials  and  gentry  who  are  becoming 
more  and  more  an  appreciable  factor  in  the 
churches,  and  whose  interests  must  not  be  over- 
looked. In  some  cities  the  returned  students  have 
organized  a Sunday  Service  League  where  an 
afternoon  service  is  held  with  an  interesting 
speaker  and  stirring  music.  This  is  good  but  it  is 
not  an  adequate  substitute  for  membership  in  the 
church. 

The  Christian  church  in  China  must  be  a united 
church.  This  does  not  mean  that  the  organic  union 
of  all  denominations  is  necessary,  but  that  the  sep- 
arate branches  shall  be  drawn  into  close  fellow- 
ship by  the  bond  of  great  mutual  interests.  In  1917 
when  there  was  a strong  movement  in  China  to 
make  Confucianism  the  state  religion,  for  the  first 
time  in  its  history,  the  church  took  concerted  ac- 


2\2 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


tion  and  sent  three  separate  protests  to  parliament. 
Political  leaders  said  that  no  political  party  had 
ever  exerted  such  influence.  The  national  evan- 
gelistic campaigns  and  the  special  week  of  evangel- 
ism have  done  much  to  draw  the  churches  together. 

A New  Chinese  Missionary  Movement 

A movement  which  was  begun  in  1918  promises 
to  cement  the  bond  as  probably  nothing  else  could 
do.  Lily  Valley,  nestling  among  the  mountains  of 
Central  China,  is  the  Northfield  or  Silver  Bay  of 
China.  During  the  three  years  that  Lily  Valley 
has  been  opened,  many  inspiring  gatherings  have 
been  held  there,  but  of  them  all  none  will  be  remem- 
bered like  the  Personal  Workers’  Conference  of 
1918.  At  that  gathering,  with  the  political  state 
of  the  country  at  low  ebb,  and  the  hearts  of  the 
Chinese  heavy  with  forebodings,  it  was  borne  in 
upon  the  conscience  of  the  Conference  members 
that  the  church  had  a very  real  duty  to  perform 
in  influencing  national  public  opinion  and  arousing 
patriotism.  A committee  of  Chinese  was  appointed 
to  raise  annually  a large  fund  to  be  used  in  educat- 
ing the  Christian  community  in  their  civil  respon- 
sibilities and  in  appealing  to  all  classes  to  put  the 
interests  of  the  nation  before  their  private  interests. 

That  was  a notable  forward  step,  but  there  was 
another  equally  important  thing  done  at  this  con- 
ference. A little  group  of  Chinese  women  were 
one  afternoon  praying  together  when  it  suddenly 


THE  CONQUERING  CHURCH  IN  CHINA  2ij 

came  to  them  as  if  it  were  the  voice  of  God  speak- 
ing, that  while  trying  to  save  the  souls  of  those  in 
their  immediate  vicinity,  they  must  not  forget  the 
unevangelized  provinces  in  the  distant  parts  of 
China.  They  brought  the  matter  up  at  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Conference.  The  immediate  and 
heartfelt  response  was  evidence  that  the  thought 
had  been  divinely  inspired.  A committee  was  at 
once  appointed  to  consider  ways  and  means  of 
starting  work.  When  it  brought  in  its  report  the 
enthusiasm  rose  to  white  heat.  The  following  plan 
was  finally  adopted  r Missionary  work  was  to  be- 
gin in  the  province  of  Yunnan  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  country,  an  enormous  territory  without 
one  ordained  Chinese  preacher  or  a single  foreign- 
trained  Chinese  doctor.  Two  small  volunteer 
bands,  one  of  men  and  one  of  women,  were  to  start 
for  Yunnan  in  February,  spend  a year  studying  the 
field,  the  people,  and  the  best  means  of  approach; 
then  return  to  report  upon  the  work.  After  that  a 
National  Missionary  Society  of  China  would  be 
organized  and  missionaries  be  regularly  appointed 
and  sent  out.  One  earnest  girl,  a graduate  of  the 
North  China  Union  Woman’s  College,  has  already 
asked  to  go.  The  Committee  reporting,  volun- 
teered for  a year  to  be  financially  responsible  for 
the  Evangelistic  Commission,  and  accepted  as  its 
challenge,  “ That  it  is  yet  to  be  seen  what  God  can 
do  in  and  for  and  with  and  through  a ‘ group  ’ com- 
posed of  individuals  wholly  consecrated  to  Him.” 


2i6 


NEW  LIFE  CURRENTS  IN  CHINA 


journey.  Hardships  lie  before  them,  and  perhaps 
danger.  When  this  book  is  being  read  by  its  first 
readers,  the  missionary  pioneers  will  just  be  return- 
ing to  tell  of  their  labors.  May  the  churches  in 
western  lands  be  much  in  prayer  for  these  and  for 
their  work!  It  is  the  promise  and  prophecy  of 
more  wonderful  victories  yet  to  come.  Already 
the  cry  is  sounding  forth,  “ On  to  the  conquest  of 
Tibet!  ” God  has  set  his  seal  upon  the  movement 
and  we  believe  he  is  going  to  “ open  the  windows 
of  heaven  and  pour  out  such  a blessing  that  there 
shall  not  be  room  enough  to  contain  it.” 

A few  months  ago  I stood  beside  the  grave  of 
Robert  Morrison  on  the  island  of  Macao,  off  the 
southern  coast  of  China.  On  a near-by  eminence, 
almost  overshadowing  the  grave,  there  rose  gaunt 
against  the  blue  sky  the  facade  of  a great  cathe- 
dral surmounted  by  a cross.  All  the  rest  of  the 
building  was  gone, — destroyed  by  fire  long  ago. 
As  I gazed  on  this  cross,  the  first  object  to  rivet  my 
attention  on  approaching  the  island,  the  last  on 
leaving  it,  the  words  repeated  themselves  to  me 
almost  as  if  spoken  audibly,  “ And  I,  if  I be  lifted 
up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me.”  The  crucified  and 
risen  Christ  has  been  uplifted  in  China.  Many 
have  beheld  him  and  live.  But  vast  multitudes, 
millions  pressing  upon  millions,  have  not  seen,  and 
do  not  know  his  truths.  Never  has  there  come  to 
them  the  glad  hope  which  is  in  him  who  said. 

“ 1 CAME  THAT  THEY  MAY  HAVE  LIFE  AND  MAY 
HAVE  IT  ABUNDANTLY.” 


APPENDIX  A 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


China  in  General 

China  an  Interpretation,  J.  W.  Bashford.  1916.  Abingdon 
Press,  New  York.  $2.50. 

The  Democratic  Movement  in  Asia,  Tyler  Dennett.  1918.  Asso- 
ciation Press,  New  York.  $1.50. 

The  Gateway  to  China,  Marj'  Ninde  Gamewell.  1916.  Fleming 
H.  Revell  Company,  New  York.  $1.50. 

Men  and  Manners  of  Modern  China,  J.  MacGowan.  1912. 

Dodd.  Mead  & Co.,  New  York.  $3.50. 

Drugging  a Nation,  the  Story  of  China  and  the  Opium  Curse, 
S.  Merwin.  1908.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  New  York. 
$1.00. 

Farmers  of  Forty  Centuries,  F.  H.  King.  1911.  F.  H.  King, 
Madison,  Wisconsin.  $2.50. 

Intellectual  and  Political  Currents  in  the  Far  East,  P.  S. 

Reinsch.  1911.  Houghton  Mifflin  Company,  New  York.  $2.00. 
Foreign  Financial  Control  in  China,  T.  W.  Overlach.  1919. 

Macmillan  Company,  New  York.  $2.00. 

IF  omen  Workers  of  the  Orient,  Margaret  E.  Burton.  1918. 
The  Central  Committee  on  the  United  Study  of  Missions, 
West  Medford,  Mass.  42  cents. 

China  and  Her  People,  2 vols.  Hon.  Charles  Denby.  1906. 

L.  C.  Page  Company,  Boston.  $3.00. 

Camps  and  Trails  in  China,  Roy  Chapman  Andrews  and 
Yvette  Borup  Andrews.  1918.  D.  Appleton  & Co.,  New 
York.  $3.00. 

China  and  the  World  War,  W.  R.  Wheeler.  1919.  Macmillan 
Company,  New  York.  $1.75. 

The  Fight  for  the  Republic  in  China,  B.  L.  Putnam  Weale 
(pseud.),  1917.  Dodd,  Mead  & Co.,  New  York.  $3.50. 

China  from  Within,  C.  E.  Scott.  1917.  Fleming  H.  Revell 
Company,  New  York.  $1.75. 

The  Changing  Chinese,  E.  A.  Ross.  1912.  The  Century  Com- 
pany. New  York.  $2.40. 


217 


2i8 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Sun  Yat  Sen,  James  Cantlie  and  C.  Sheridan  Jones.  1912. 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Company.  New  York.  $1.25. 

The  Chinese  at  Home,  J.  Dyer  Ball.  1912.  Fleming  H.  Revell 
Company,  New  York.  $2.00. 

Changing  China,  Rev.  Lord  William  Gascoyne-Cecil  and  Lady 
Florence  Cecil.  1912.  D.  Appleton  & Co.,  New  York.  $2.00. 

Glimpses  of  China  and  Chinese  Homes,  Edward  S.  Morse. 
IQ03.  Little,  Brown  & Co.,  Boston.  $1.50. 

Ancient  Peoples  at  New  Tasks,  Willard  Price.  1918.  Missionary 
Education  Movement,  New  York.  75  cents. 

China  and  the  Far  East  (Clark  University  Lectures).  Edited 
by  Geeorge  H.  Blakeslee.  1910.  Thomas  Y.  Crowell  & Co., 
New  York.  $3.00. 

Chinese  Characteristics,  Arthur  H.  Smith.  1894.  Fleming  H. 
Revell  Company,  New  York.  $2.00. 

Contemporary  Politics  in  the  Far  East,  Stanley  K.  Hornbeck. 
igi6.  D.  Appleton  & Co.,  New  York.  $3.00. 

The  Lore  of  Cathay,  W.  A.  Martin.  1901.  Fleming  H .Revell 
Company,  New  York.  $2.50. 

Village  Life  in  China,  Arthur  H.  Smith.  1899.  Fleming  H. 
Revell  Company,  New  York.  $2.00. 

China’s  New  Day,  I.  Headland.  1912.  The  Central  Committee 
on  the  United  Study  of  Missions,  West  Medford,  Mass.  50 
cents. 

The  New  Era  in  Asia,  Sherwood  Eddy.  1913.  Missionary  Edu- 
cation Movement,  New  York.  50  cents. 

Notable  Women  in  China,  Margaret  E.  Burton.  1912.  Fleming 
H.  Revell  Company,  New  York.  $1.25. 

Foreign  Magic,  Jean  Carter  Cochran.  1919.  Missionary  Educa- 
tion Movement,  New  York.  $1.50. 

China  Inside  Out,  George  A.  Miller.  1917.  The  Abingdon  Press, 
New  York.  $1.00. 

The  Chinese  Revolution,  Arthur  J.  Brown.  1912.  Student 
Volunteer  Movement,  New  York.  75  cents. 

Religions 

Religion  in  China,  J.  J.  M.  De  Groot.  1910.  Macmillan  Com- 
pany, New  York.  $1.50. 

The  Religions  of  China,  James  Legge.  1881.  Charles  Scribner's 
Sons,  New  York.  $1.50. 

Historical  Development  of  Religion  in  China,  W.  J.  Clennel. 
1917.  E.  P.  EHitton  & Co.,  New  York  $2.00. 

Nestotian  Movement  in  China,  P.  Y.  Saeki.  1916.  E.  S.  Gorham, 
New  York.  $4.20. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY  219 

Three  Religions  of  China,  W.  S.  Soothill.  1913.  George  H. 
Doran  Company,  New  York.  $1.50. 

Education 

The  Chinese  System  of  Education,  P.  W.  Kuo.  1915.  Teachers 
College,  Columbia  University,  New  York.  $1.50. 

Education  of  the  Women  of  China,  Margaret  E.  Burton.  1911. 
Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  New  York.  $1.25. 

Students  of  Asia,  Sherwood  Eddy.  1915.  Student  Volunteer 
Movement,  New  York.  50  cents. 

The  Educational  Conquest  of  the  Far  East,  Robert  E.  Lewis. 
1903.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  New  York.  $1.00. 

Medical 

Medicine  in  China.  1914.  China  Medical  Commission  of  the 
Rockefeller  Foundation,  61  Broadway,  New  York.  Gratis. 

Breaking  Dou'ii  Chinese  Walls,  E.  J.  Osgood.  1908.  Fleming 
H.  Revell  Company,  New  York.  $1.00. 

Life,  Letters,  and  Journals  of  the  Rev.  and  Hon.  Peter  Parker, 
G.  B.  Stevens  and  \V.  F.  Markwick.  1896.  Congregational 
Sunday  School  Publishing  Company,  Boston.  $1.50. 

A Crusade  of  Compassion  for  the  Healing  of  the  Nations,  com- 
piled by  Belle  J.  Allen,  M.D.  Edited  by  Caroline  Atwater 
Mason.  1919.  The  Central  Committee  on  the  United  Study 
of  Missions,  West  Medford,  Mass.  50  cents. 

Missions 

China  Mission  Year  Book,  igi8.  Missionary  Education  Move- 
ment, New  York.  $2.50. 

The  Uplift  of  China,  A.  H.  Smith.  1912.  Missionary  Educa- 
tion Movement,  New  York.  50  cents. 

Mission  Problems  and  Mission  Methods  in  South  China,  J.  C. 
Gibson.  Fleming  H.  Revell  Company,  New  York.  $1.50. 

Calvin  Wilson  Mateer,  D.  W.  Fisher.  1911.  Westminster 
Press,  Philadelphia.  $1.50. 

The  Emergency  in  China,  F.  L.  Hawks  Pott.  1913.  Missionary 
Education  Movement,  New  York.  75  cents. 


APPENDIX  B 


Area  and  Population 


The  i8  Provinces 

Area: 

English 

Population 

Capital 
(Seat  of 
Tutuh) 

of  China  Proper 

square 

miles 

(Estimated) 

Chihli 

115,800 

22,970,000 

Tientsin 

Shantung 

55.970 

25,810,000 

Tsinan 

Shansi 

81,830 

9,420,000 

Tyuen 

Honan 

67,940 

22.375,000 

Kaifeng 

Kiangsu 

38.600 

15,380,000 

Nanking 

Anhui 

54.8 10 

14,075,000 

Anking 

Kiangsi 

69,480 

16,255,000 

Nanchang 

Chekiang 

36.670 

13,950.000 

Hangchow 

Fukien 

46,320 

8,560.000 

Foochow 

Hupeh 

71.410 

21,260,000 

Wuchang 

Hunan 

83.380 

20,580,000 

Changsha 

Shensi 

75.270 

6,725,000 

Hsian 

Kansu 

125.450 

3,810,000 

Lanchow 

Szechuan 

218, 4& 

54,500,000 

Chengtu 

Kwangtung 

99.970 

23,700,000 

Canton 

Kwangsi 

77,200 

5,425,000 

Kweilin 

Kweichau 

67,160 

9,265,000 

Kweiyang 

Yunnan 

146,680 

8,053,000 

Yunnan 

Total  

1,532,420 

302,110,000 

New  Dominion : — 

Tihuafu 

(Urumchi) 

Hsinchiang 
Dependencies ; — 

550,340 

2,000.000 

Manchuria 

363,610 

Fengtien 

5.830.000 

Mukden 

Kirin 

5,350.000 

Kirin 

Heilungchiang 

1,560,000 

Tsitsihar 

12,740,000 

Mongolia 

1,367,600 

1.800,000 

Urga 

Tibet 

463,200 

2,000,000 

Lhasa 

Grand  Total.. 

3.913.560 

320,650,000 

320 


APPENDIX  B 


221 


The  figures  of  population  on  page  220  were  published  in  the 
Chinese  Government  Gazette,  Feb.  27,  1911.  Concerning  them 
the  Statesman’s  Year  Book  for  1918  comments  as  follows: 

“ In  1912,  Mr.  Rockhill,  formerly  American  Minister  at  Peking 
— a recognized  authority — after  careful  inquiry  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  ‘ this  document,  though  showing  complete  ignorance 
of  the  methods  now  nearly  universally  followed  in  vital  statistical 
reports,  throws  considerable  light  on  the  question  of  China’s 
|)opulation,  and  seems  entitled  to  more  confidence  than  the 
enumerations  which  have  heretofore  appeared.’  He  believed  that 
the  population  of  China,  Manchuria,  and  Chinese  Turkestan,  i.e., 
the  Chinese  Republic  exclusive  of  Tibet  and  Mongolia,  appeared 
to  be  in  round  numbers  350,000,000,  new  information  having 
confirmed  the  opinion  reached  by  him  in  former  studies  of  the 
same  subject  that  the  population  of  China  ‘ is  much  smaller  than 
we  have  been  led  to  believe,  and  that  in  the  last  century  it  has 
been  increasing  very  slowly  if  at  all 


222 


APPENDIX  C 


IMPORTANT  EVENTS  IN  MODERN  CHINESE  HISTORY 
A.D. 

1275  Marco  Polo  arrived  at  Court  of  Kublai  Khan. 

1516  Portuguese  arrived  at  Canton. 

1575  Spanish  arrived  at  Canton. 

1580  Father  Roger  and  Matteo  Ricci  entered  Canton. 

1622  Dutch  arrived  in  China. 

163s  English  arrived  at  Canton. 

1660  Tea  first  carried  to  England. 

1670  Beginning  of  trade  with  the  East  India  Company. 

1719  Beginning  of  commerce  with  Russia. 

1784  First  American  merchant  vessel  left  New  York  for  China. 
1834  Opium  dispute  begins. 

1839  Beginning  of  war  with  Great  Britain. 

1842  August  29,  treaty  of  peace  signed  at  Nanking. 

1844  July  3,  first  treaty  between  United  States  and  China. 
i860  October  13,  British  and  French  capture  Peking. 

1873  June  29,  foreign  ministers  received  by  the  Emperor. 

1875  Death  of  Emperor  Tung  Chi,  and  accession  of  Kuang  Hsu. 
1880  November  17,  new  treaty  with  the  United  States  signed. 

1887  February,  assumption  of  government  by  the  Emperor 

Kuang  Hsu. 

1888  American  exclusion  acts  against  Chinese  passed. 

1891  Anti-foreign  riots  in  the  Yangtze  valley. 

1894  War  with  Japan,  concluded  in  1905. 

1897  November,  seizure  of  Kiaochow  by  Germany. 

18^  March,  Russia  leases  Port  Arthur  of  China. 

1898  Reform  edicts  by  the  emperor. 

18^  Counter  edicts  by  the  Empress  Dowager,  and  dethrone- 
ment of  the  Emperor. 

1899  Rise  of  the  Boxer  movement. 

1900  June  17,  capture  of  Taku  forts  by  the  allies. 

1900  June  20,  murder  of  the  German  minister.  Siege  of  the 
legations  in  Peking. 

1900  August  14,  relief  of  the  Peking  legations  by  allies. 

1900  August  15,  flight  of  the  court  to  Sianfu. 

1900  September  9,  signing  of  the  peace  protocol. 

1902  January,  return  of  the  court  to  Peking. 

1904  February  8 to  September  5,  1905,  war  between  Japan  and 

Russia. 

1905  December,  dispatch  of  two  imperial  cornmissions  to 

America  and  Europe  to  study  constitutional  govern- 
ment. 

1905  Adoption  of  Occidental  system  of  education. 

1906  Issue  of  imperial  edict  against  opium. 

1907  Extension  of  educational  privileges  to  women. 

1909  Introduction  of  Provincial  Councils. 

1910  Meeting  of  National  Assembly. 

1911  Beginning  of  the  Revolution. 

1912  Imperial  decree  of  abdication  by  Manchu  clan. 


APPENDIX  C 


223 

1912  January  i,  Sun  Yat-sen  became  provisional  President  at 
Nanking. 

1912  February  12,  China  becomes  a Republic. 

1912  February  14,  Sun  Yat-sen  resigned  the  provisional  presi- 
dency. 

1912  March  10,  Yuan  Shih-kai  took  oath  as  provisional  Presi- 

dent at  Peking,  uniting  North  and  South. 

1913  April  8,  National  Assembly  met  to  form  a Constitution. 

1913  October  6,  Yuan  Shih-kai  elected  President. 

1914  August  5,  China  asks  United  States  to  keep  war  from 

spreading  to  Far  East. 

1914  September,  opium  banned  from  fourteen  provinces. 

1915  May,  “Twenty-one  Demands”  presented  by  Japan. 

1915  December  ii.  Council  of  State  urged  President  to  assume 

throne  and  declare  himself  Emperor. 

1916  January  27,  Province  of  Kweichau  declared  its  inde- 

pendence. 

1916  March.  Kwangsi  declared  its  independence,  followed  by 
other  provinces. 

1916  April  24,  all  civil  authority  surrendered  to  the  Secretary 
of  State  and  Heads  of  Departments. 

1916  June  6,  Death  of  President  Yuan  Shih-kai. 

1916  June  7,  Vice-President  Li  Yuan-hung  assumed  presidency. 

1917  February,  new  Constitution  drafted. 

1917  March  14,  diplomatic  relations  with  Germany  severed. 

1917  June  9,  Chang  Hsun  demanded  dissolution  of  Parliament. 
1917  July  I,  Manchu  boy-Emperor,  Hsuan  Tung,  placed  on 
throne  by  Chang  Hsun. 

1917  July  12,  Chang  Hsun’s  troops  routed  in  Peking;  Repub- 
lican flag  raised  over  “ Forbidden  City.” 

1917  July  17,  Li  Yuan-hung  refused  to  resume  presidency. 

1917  August  I,  Feng  Kou-chang,  acting  President,  assumed  the 
presidency. 

1917  August  14,  war  declared  on  Germany  and  Austria. 

1918  May  4,  Extraordinary  Parliament  at  Canton  passes  resolu- 

tion in  favor  of  joint  government  with  the  Southern 
provinces. 

1918  September  4,  Hsu  Shih-chang  elected  President. 

1918  October  3,  Dr.  Sun  Yat-sen  formally  assumes  office  as 
one  of  the  Directors  Southern  Military  Government. 
1918  October  3,  Southern  Government  declares  war  against 
President-elect  Hsu  Shi-Chang. 

1918  October  28.  Japan  submits  to  the  Allied  governments  a 
proposal  for  Allied  mediation  in  China. 

1918  November  14,  delegates  appointed  to  Peace  Conference  in 
Europe. 

1918  November  21,  official  celebration  of  the  Allied  Victory. 

1919  January  14,  Government  burns  $12,000,000  worth  of  opium 

purchased  from  Opium  Combine. 

1919  February  20,  North  and  South  China  Peace  Conference 
opens  at  Shanghai. 


APPENDIX  D 


Educational  Statistics  of  the  Work 
Missions  in  China  for  the  Years. 

OF  THE 

1916 

Protestant 
and  1917 

Christian  Teaching  Force 

Foreign  Men  

Foreign  Women  

Chinese  Men  

Chinese  Women  

Non-Christian  Chinese  Teachers  

640 

831 

6,812 

2,783 

677 

583 

683 

7,954 

3,039 

854 

Kindergartens 

Schools  

Pupils 

IIS 

3.196 

755 

3,497 

Lower  and  Higher  Elementary  Schools 

Schools  

T eachers  .■ 

Boys  

Girls  

5,851 

8,037 

105,637 

47,794 

5,906 

8444 

100,382 

52,096 

Colleges  of  University  Standing 

Institutions  

Male  Students 

Female  Students  

28 

1,435 

64 

29 

1,653 

92 

Normal  and  Training  Schools 

Institutions  

Male  Students 

Female  Students  

156 

1,376 

2,280 

136 

1,2^ 

2,183 

Theological  Schools 

Schools  

Students  

31 

985 

42 

1,060 

Industrial  Training  Institutions 

Institutions  

Male  Students  

Female  Students  

In  other  Christian  Schools.... 

Total  under  Christian  Instruction 

40 
‘708 
* 701 
20,470 
184,646 

32 

488 

519 

31,570 

194,624 

Chinese  contributions  toward  educa- 
tional work:  fees  for  tuition,  stu- 
dents’ board,  and  running  expenses 

(Mex.)  $1,163,985  $1,379,614 

For  detailed  statistics  see  China  Mission  Year  Book,  1918. 

^ Incomplete  figures. 


234 


APPENDIX  E 


Medical  Statistics  of  the  Work  of  the  Protestant  Missions 
IN  China  for  the  Years  of  1915  1916  1917 


Foreign  Physicians 

Male  

Female  

Chinese  Physicians  

Chinese  Medical  Assistants  . . . 

Trained  Nurses 

Foreign  

Chinese  (male  and  female) 

Hospitals 

Buildings  

Beds  

In-patients  

Major  operations  

Dispensaries 

Buildings  

Individuals  treated 

Itinerating  Circuits  

Individuals  treated  

Chinese  contributions  toward 
medical  work (Mex.) 


277 

267 

270 

106 

93 

81 

I9I 

172 

212 

504 

591 

377 

142 

154 

162 

734 

924 

895 

330 

372 

320 

13,455 

13,855 

13.712 

104,418 

120,110 

1 19.097 

23,920 

32,216 

29,675 

223 

328 

318 

1,535.841 

1,524,301 

1,440,461 

90 

I3I 

65 

60,179 

94,654 

26,931 

$502,742 

$633,773 

$862,086 

For  detailed  statistics  see  China  Mission  Year  Book,  1918. 


225 


APPENDIX  F 

CLASSIFICATION  OF  CHINESE  WORKERS 


EMPLOYED  BY  THE  CHINESE  CHURCH 
OR  THE  MISSIONS 


ANGLICANS 

BAPTISTS 

CONGREGATIONALISTS 
LUTHERANS 
METHODISTS 
PRESBYTERIANS 
CHINA  INLAND  MISSION 
OTHER  SOCIETIES 


ETINGEUSTIC  EDCGiTIOHAl.  BEDICili 


TOTAL  1915 
TOTAL  1916 
TOTAL  1917 


* China  Mission  Year  Book,  1918. 


226 


APPENDIX  G 

RELATVE  OCCUPATION  OF  MISSION  FIELDS  ‘ 

PROTESTANT  MISSIONARIES 

AFRICA...  5,365 

CHINA 5,750 

INDIA 5,465 

JAPAN 1,123 

MISSIONARIES  PER  MILLION  OF  POPULATION 

AFRICA 39 

CHINA 18 

INDIA 17 

JAPAN 19 

NATIVE  STAFF  PER  MILLION  OF  POPULATION 

AFRICA 213 

CHINA  49 

INDIA 124 

JAPAN 54 

COMMUNICANTS  PER  10,000  OF  POPULATION 

AFRICA 53 

CHINA 8 

INDIA 18 

JAPAN 14 

* Prepared  by  Rev.  D.  J.  Fleming,  New  York  City.  China 

Mission  Year  Book,  191-8. 


227 


y 


INDEX 


A 

Afforestation,  plans  for,  _II2-II3 
Af^riculture,  demonstrations,  Ii8; 

improvements.  1 1_6- 1 20 
.‘\merican  Board  College.  68 
American  Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions. sent  Dr.  Peter  Parker,  30 
American  Protestant  Episcopal 
Board,  missionary  from,  92 
American  Presbyterian  Board,  Dr. 

John  G.  ^Kerr  of.  51 
American  Shipping  Board,  126 
.\nti-opium  Association.  103 
Armj;  and  Navy  Hospital,  67 
Asiatic  Petroleum  Company,  129 


B 

Bailie,  Joseph,  work  of,  113 
Belgium,  population,  94 
Bible  Institutes,  208 
Bible  women,  called  evangelists,  210 
Bishop,  first  Chinese,  206 
Blue  Bird  Society,  92 
Bondficld.  Dr.  G.  H.,  quoted,  157 
Boxer  Indemnity,  remitted  by 
United  States.  137 
Boxer  Rebellion,  9,  89,  136,  165, 
191 

Boy  Scouts,  activities,  169:  Red 

Cross  parade,  19 

British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society, 
1S7 

Bubonic  plague,  rats  bought,  85 
Bucbman,  Rev.  Frank,  work  of,  196 


C 

Campaigns,  agricultural,  118-121; 
Eddy,  evangelistic,  19S-199.  203; 
united  war  work,  19-20;  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  anti-opium,  103;  Y.  M. 
C-  A.  health,  93-99 
Camp  Fire  Girls,  92 
Canton,  Christian  College,  119; 
comparison,  114;  Convenience 
Hospital,  65:  department  stores, 
126-127:  public  park,  90;  Refuge 
for  Insane,  51;  scene  of  first 
medical  work,  29-33;  schoolgirls 
protected.  144-145;  seat  of  gov- 
ernment in  South,  4;  sent  Dr. 
Mary  Stone,  78 


Central  Hospital.  57-59.  67 
Changsha,  governor  of,  93:  hos- 

pital 53:  school,  I4S 
Chang  Po-ling,  work  of,  142 
Chefoo,  Deaf  and  Dumb  School,  173 
Cheng.  Dr.  C.  Y„  quoted.  205 
Chengtu,  a clean  city,  89:  Univer- 
sity, 151 

Child,  betrothal.  177-182:  labor.  150, 
'74->7S:  welfare,  168 
China,  aneient.  6;  new  influences,  8- 
10;  part  in  world  war.  16-26 
China  Continuation  Committee,  199, 
20  s 

China  Medical  Board.  38.  44-53 
China  Medical  Commission,  46 
China  Medical  Missionary  Associa- 
tion, 39,  74.  g6 

Chinese,  etiquette,  34,  36.  148,  184; 
evangelists.  S3,  210;  fortitude.  31: 
mind,  70;  women  doctors,  38; 
women.  184187 

Chuan  Shao  Cliing.  work  of,  68 
Church  of  Our  Savior.  206 
City,  employs  beggars  to  clean 
streets.  89:  model  sanitary,  93; 
walls  taken  down,  89 
College  of  Imperial  Surgeons,  59 
Commercial  Press,  164.  173 
Committee  on  Public  Information, 
163 

Confucius,  139,  153,  iSo 
Confucianism,  21 1 
Convenience  Hospital,  6s 
Cornell  University,  graduate,  116 
Cotton  Growing  Association,  118 
Crow.  Carl,  work  of,  163 


D 

Deaf  and  Dumb  School,  173 
Department  stores,  126-127 


E 

Eddy,  Dr.  Sherwood,  campaigns, 
194-195,  203 

Edinburgh  Missionary  Conference, 
_ 199 

Education,  old  system,  143;  not 
compulsory.  149 
Emperor,  n-13,  8,  136 
Empress  Dowager,  9-11,  136 
Examination  Halls,  134,  136,  143 


22Q 


230 


INDEX 


F 

Famine.  121 

Far  Eastern  Championship  Games, 
100 

Floods,  107,  1 1 5,  167:  cause  of, 
hi;  relief  committee,  112 
Foochow.  Christianity  at,  192;  hos- 
pital patient,  33;  University,  151 
Foot-bindinR,  179 

Foreign  Powers,  9,  15,  17,  lot,  138 
Forward  Evangelistic  Movement,  199 
France,  coolies  in,  21-24 

G 

Ginling  College,  graduates,  151 
Greene,  Mr.  Roger,  quoted,  48 

H 

Hackett  Medical  College,  38 
Halls  of  Benevolence,  65 
Hangchow,  Grand  Canal,  121;  help- 
ers from,  203;  home  i»,  185; 

Manchu  City,  89;  medicine  fac- 
tory, 64;  prison,  171 
Hankow,  called  Chicago  of  China, 
126;  factory,  173:  fire  in,  89 
Hanlin.  government  degree,  134 
Han  River  at  Hanyang,  126 
Hanyang  Steel  and  Iron  Works, 


monia  deaths,  72 
Hartford  School  of  Missions,  196 
Harvard  University,  graduate,  96 
Hospitals,  Army  and  Navy,  67; 
Central,  57-59,  67:  Convenience, 
65:  Government  Women’s,  70; 

isolation,  68,  91;  Kung  Ye,  68; 
Kwang  Hua,  66;  Methodist 
Woman’s,  49;  military,  104;  mis- 
sion, 32,  76;  Municipal,  59_; 

Peking,  66;  Red  Cross,  104;  Uni- 
versal Benevolence,  32 
Homes  for  cripples,  51 
Hongkong,  department  stores  at, 
126-127 

Howard,  Dr.  Leonora,  work  of,  52 
Hsianfu,  refuge  of  Empress  Dow- 
ager, 10 

Hsu  Shi  Chang,  ordered  opium 
burned,  loi 
Hua  To,  work  of,  60 

I 

Imperial  College  of  Surgeons,  59 
Imperial  Grain,  122 
Imperial  Granaries,  67 
Imperial  Mausoleum,  it 
Imperial  Tile  Works,  47 
Industrial  development,  95,  125, 

163;  magazine,  164;  workers,  172 


Infant,  abandonment  of,  178;  care 
of,  86-87,  95-96 

International  Settlement  in  Shang- 
hai, 85 


J 

Japan,  war  with,  8;  politicians,  14- 
16:  twenty-one  demands,  176 
Johns  Hopkins  University,  gp-adu- 
ates,  68,  96 

Joint  Council  on  Public  Health,  96 


K 

Kaifeng,  Board  of  Health,  go;  High 
School,  143 

Kerr,  Dr.  John  G.,  work  of,  51 
Kerr,  Mrs.,  visit  with,  51 
Kiangnan  Dock  and  Engineering 
Company.  126 

Kingsley,  Charles,  quoted,  201 
Kiukiang,  traveling  pharmacy  at,  75 
Kung  Ve  Hospital,  68 
Kwang  Hua  Hospital,  66 
Kwangtung,  secures  woman  doctor, 

78-79 


L 

Labor  Battalions,  17-25 
Lily  Valley,  conferences  at,  212 
Lockhart  Hall,  coeducational,  48 
Lockhart,  William,  work  of,  31 
London  Missionary  Society,  31 
London  University,  graduate,  145 


M 

Malay  Peninsula,  Chinese  in,  25, 

,,147 

Manchuria,  pneumonia  plague  in, 
72 

Manchus,  city  of,  89;  dynasty  of, 
II,  60;  palace  of,  47;  education 
under,  97 

Manila,  Chinese  in,  24 
Martin,  Dr.  W.  A.  P.,  quoted,  144 
Martyrs,  Chinese,  191-192 
Martyrs  Memorial  Hall,  191 
Medicine,  old  idea,  33,  62-64;  pre- 
ventive. 84 

Mesopotamia,  coolies  in,  17 
Methodist  Woman’s  Hospital,  49 
Military  Hospitals.  104 
Minister  of  Education,  97 
Mission,  doctors,  32;  hospitals,  32, 
76;  nurses,  32;  salaries,  77; 
schools  for  blind,  51 
Morrison,  Robert,  work  of,  30,  31, 
192,  216 

Mott,  Dr.  John  R.,  work  of,  199 


INDEX 


231 


Mt.  Holyoke,  graduate.  144 
Municipal  Hospital,  59 

N 

Nanchang,  baby  boxes,  178:  day- 

school  teachers,  ija;  Normal 
School,  144;  prison,  170 
Nankai  Hi^  School,  143 
Nanking  Bible  Training  School, 
•210;  Board  of  Health,  90;  classes 
for  midwives,  70;  Eddy  Campaign, 
194;  Ginling  College,  151;  N’ormal 
School,  141,  148;  Victory  Cele- 
bration, 19;  University,  119 
Kantungchow,  textile  school  at,  147 
National  Medical  Education  Asso- 
ciation, 74,  96 

National  Missionary  Society,  213 
New  Year,  Chinese.  200 
Nieh,  Mr.,  reclaims  land,  118 
Ningko,  coolie  from,  18 
North  China  Union  Woman’s  Col- 
lege, isi,  213 

North  Manchurian  Plague  Preven- 
tion Service,  gi 

Nurses  trained,  41-44.  49,  71; 

training  school  in  Peking,  42 

O 

Opium,  burning,  101;  crops,  104; 
examination  of,  loi;  problem, 
100;  war,  7 
Oregon  pine,  112 

P 

Parker,  Peter,  first  hospital,  32; 
first  missionary,  30;  opened  China, 
52;  if  return,  83 

Paxon,  Ruth,  Y.  W.  C.  A.  secre- 
tary, 198 

Peace  Conference.  17 
Peking,  changes  in,  90;  colleges, 
48.  137-138,  141.  143,  151,  167, 
168,  210;  conferences,  15s:  court, 
lo;  seat  of  government  in  North, 
4;  hospitals,  66;  prisons,  170-171; 
siege  of,  10;  telephone,  16 
Personal  Workers  Conference,  212 
Peter.  Dr.  \V.  VV'.,  work  of,  93 
Phonetic  writing,  156,  164 
Pneumonia  plague,  50.  72 
Pootung,  burning  of  opium  at,  102 
Powell,  Miss,  quoted.  49 
Premium  Iron  and  Steel  Corpora- 
tion, 126 

President  Wilson’s  War  Speech,  164 
Prison  reform,  170 
Public  health,  90-99,  163 
Public  opinion,  162,  164 
Public  press,  162 

Purple  Mountain,  barren  wastes  on, 
113 


R 

Railroads,  10,  83,  112,  I2i 
Red  Cross  Society,  4,  18,  20,  104, 
109 

Refuges,  flood  victims,  109;  insane, 
S 1 ; lepers,  5 1 
Republic,  birth  of,  3,  11 
Roads,  upkeep  of,  122-123 
Rockefeller  Eoundation,  44-53 
Revolution,  9-13,  89,  138,  170 


S 

Sammons.  Mr.  Thomas,  American 
Consul-General,  103 
Sanitation,  need  of,  87-89.  90 
Schools,  government,  138;  inspec- 
tors. 138;  mission,  152;  normal, 
141;  old-style,  139;  practise,  140; 
technical,  146;  vocational,  147 
Sbangdiai.  Boy  Scouts,  19,  169; 

China  Medical  Board,  46;  Church 
of  Our  Savior,  206;  electric  car 
line,  89;  International  Settlement, 
85:  leaders  from.  203;  Martyrs 
Memorial  Hall,  191;  medical  work, 
31;  mills,  175;  newspapers,  162- 
163:  opium,  loi;  Union  Cantonese 
Church.  209:  railroad.  125;  Red 
Cross  Society.  18:  reformatory  at, 
173;  schools.  147-148;  ships,  126; 
Dr.  Woo,  center  for  work,  g6 
Shantung,  laborers,  24;  population, 
94;  roads,  123 

Shun  Pao.  publication.  162-163 
Sincere  Company,  store  of,  127- 
128 

Smith,  Dr.  Arthur  H..  quoted,  3 
Social  Service.  166-167,  175 
Soochow,  scene  of  first  dissection, 
50;  doctors.  75;  nurses,  75 
Standard  Oil  Company,  129 
Stone.  Dr.  Mary,  work  of,  78 
Students,  returned,  7-8,  91,  154-156, 
211 

Sunday  Service  League,  211 
Sun  Yat-sen,  Dr.,  resigned,  13 


T 

Tao,  Mr.,  w'ork  of.  116 
Temple  of  Heaven,  12 
Tientsin.  Chinese  Church  at,  205; 
floods,  107,  III;  massacre,  52;  old 
ideas.  180;  opium,  103;  prisons, 
171-172;  railroads,  5,  10;  reform- 
ers of.  173,  176;  schools,  141- 

142;  woman  doctor,  36 
Tsao,  Dr.,  quoted,  70 
Tsinanfu,  university  at,  151 
Tungchow,  American  Board  Col- 
lege at,  68 

Twenty-one  Demands  of  Japan,  176 


232 


INDEX 


U 

Union  BiHe  Training  Schools,  216 
Union  Cantonese  Church.  209 
Union  Woman’s  College,  49 
United  War  Work,  119 
University  of  Nanking,  119 


V 

.Victory  Celebration,  19 
W 

War,  European,  16-26;  Japan,  8; 
opium,  7;  President  Wilson’s 
speech,  164 
Water-ways,  121-122 
Week  of  Evangelism,  200-202 
Whangpoo  River,  opium  kilns,  102; 
ship-building,  125 

Wing  On  Company,  store  of,  127 
IVoman’s  Messenger,  publication 
i6s 

Woman’s  Union  Medical  College,  39 
fVomen's  Home  Journal,  publication 
165 


Woo,  Dr.  S.  M.,  work  of,  96 
Wu  Lien  Teh,  Dr.,  work  of,  S7,  91 
Wusih,  factories,  125 


Y 

Yale-in-China  Hospital,  53,  68 
Yangtsze  Engineering  Works,  172 
Yangtsze  River,  steel  mills  on,  126; 
turbid  waters  of,  1 1 1 ; wreck  in, 
166 

Yellow  River,  Hood,  no 
Y.  M.  C.  A.,  anti-opium  campaign, 
103;  health  campaign.  93-98: 
physical  training,  98;  school  or- 
ganization, 142;  secretary  quoted, 
155:  work  in  war.  17,  22-23 
Y.  W.  C.  A„  evangelistic  campaign, 
198;  general  work,  186;  normal 
school,  141;  physical  training, 
98;  social  service,  175 
Yuan  Shih-Kai,  president,  13 
Yuen,  Mr.,  work  of,  142 
Yui,  Mr.  David,  quoted,  155 
Yung  Tao,  Mr.,  work  of,  176 
Yung  Wing,  Mr.,  work  of,  7 
Yunnan,  missionary  field,  213 


LIST  OF  MISSION  BOARDS 
AND  CORRESPONDENTS 


The  Missionary  Education  Movement  is  conducted  in  behalf  of  the 
Forei^  and  Home  Mission  Boards  and  Societies  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada. 

Orders  for  literature  on  foreign  and  home  missions  should  be  ad- 
dressed to  the  secretaries  representing  those  organizations,  who  are  pre- 
pared to  furnish  special  helps  to  leaders  of  mission  study  classes  and  to 
other  missionary  workers. 

If  the  address  of  the  secretary  of  the  Foreign  or  Home  Mission  Board 
or  Society  of  your  denomination  is  unknown,  orders  may  be  sent  to  the 
Missionary  Education  Movement.  All  persons  ordering  from  the  Mission- 
ary Education  Movement  are  requested  to  indicate  their  denominations 
when  ordering. 

Advent  Christian — American  Advent  Mission  Society,  Rev.  George  E- 
Tyler,  i6o  Warren  Street,  Boston,  Mass. 

Associate  Reformed  Presbyterian — Young  People’s  Christian  Union  and 
Sabbath  School  Work,  Rev.  J.  W.  Carson,  Newberry,  S.  C. 

Baptist  (North) — American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  Rev.  Charles 
L.  White,  23  East  26th  Street,  New  York  City. 

American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  Rev.  J.  Y.  Aitchison,  Ford 
Building,  Boston,  Mass. 

The  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Home  Mission  Society,  Mrs.  Katherine 
S.  Westfall,  2969  Vernon  Ave.,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

The  Woman’s  American  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Society,  Mrs.  W.  A. 

Montgomery,  144  Dartmouth  Sl->  Rochester,  New  York. 

The  American  Baptist  Publication  Society,  Rev.  Gilbert  N.  Brink,  lyor 
Chestnut  Street.  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Baptist  (South) — Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  Southern  Baptist  Con- 
vention, Rev.  T.  B.  Ray,  8 North  Sixth  Street,  Richmond,  Va. 
(Correspondence  concerning  both  foreign  and  home  missions.) 

Baptist — Foreign  Mission  Board  of  the  National  Baptist  Convention,  Rev. 

L.  G.  Jordan,  701  South  Nineteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Christian — The  Mission  Board  of  the  Christian  Church:  Foreign  Missions, 
Rev.  M.  T.  Morrill:  Home  Missions,  Rev.  Omer  S.  Thomas,  C.  P.  A. 
Building,  Dayton,  (3hio. 

Christian  Reformed — Board  of  Heathen  Missions,  Rev.  Henry  Beets, 
2050  Francis  Avenue,  S.  E„  Grand  Rapids,  Mich. 

Church  op  the  Brethren — General  Mission  Board  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Rev.  J.  H.  B.  Williams.  Elgin,  Illinois. 

CoNCRECATiONAi. — Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  Congregational 
Education  Society,  Rev.  Miles  B.  Fisher,  Secretary,  14  Beacon  Street, 
Boston,  Mass. 

American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  Miss  Mabel  E. 

Emerson,  14  Beacon  Street.  Boston,  Mass. 

American  Missionary  Association,  Rev.  George  L.  Cady,  287  Fourth 
Avenue.  New  York  City. 

“rhe  Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society,  Rev.  William  S.  Beard, 
287  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 


Disciples  of  Christ — Foreign  Christian  Missionary  Society,  Rev.  Bert 
Wilson,  Box.  884,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

The  American  Christian  Missionary  Society,  Mr.  R.  M.  Hopkins,  Carew 
Building,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

Evangelical  Association — Missionary  Society  of  the  Evangelical  Asso- 
ciation, Rev.  George  Johnson,  1903  Woodland  Avenue,  S.  E.,  Cleve- 
land, Ohio. 

Friends — American  Friends  Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Mr.  Ross  A. 
Hadley,  Richmond.  Ind. 

Evangelistic  and  Church  Extension  Board  of  the  Friends  Five  Years’ 
Meeting,  Mr.  Harry  R.  Keates,  1314  Lyon  Street.  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

German  Evangelical — Foreign  Mission  Board,  German  Evangelical  Synod 
of  North  America,  1377  Main  Street.  Buffalo.  N.  Y. 

Methodist  Episcopal — Missionary  Education  in  the  Sunday  School,  Board 
of  Sunday  Schools,  58  East  Washington  Street,  Chicago,  Illinois. 
Address  all  other  correspondence;  Department  Mission  Study  and 
Christian  Stewardship  of  the  Epworth  League,  Dr.  George  F.  Durgin, 
740  Rush  Street,  Chicago,  III. 

Methodist  Episcopal  (South) — The  Educational  Department  of  the 
Board  of  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  Rev. 
C.  G.  Hounshell,  810  Broadway,  Nashville,  Tenn.  ((Correspondence 
concerning  both  foreign  and  home  missions.) 

Methodist  Protestant — Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  Rev.  Fred  C.  Klein,  316  North  Charles  Street, 
Baltimore.  Md. 

Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  Rev. 
Charles  H.  Beck,  507  Pittsburgh  Life  Building,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Moravian — The  Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  the  Moravian 
Church  in  America,  Northern  Province,  Rev.  F.  W.  Stengel,  Lititz,  Pa. 

The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of  America — Board  of  Foreign  Mis- 
sions of  Lutheran  Church  of  America,  Rev.  M.  Saterlie,  425-429  S. 
Fourth  Street,  Minneapolis,  Minnesota. 

Secretary  of  Home  Mission  Board,  Rev.  John  Stenberg,  315  First 
Avenue  E.,  Duluth.  Minnesota. 

Presbyterian  (U.  S.  A.) — The  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Mr.  B.  Carter  Millikin,  Educational 
Secretary,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A., 
Mr.  E.  Fred  Eastman,  Educational  Director,  156  Fifth  Avenue,  New 
York  City. 

Presbyterian  (U.  S.) — Executive  Committee  of  Foreign  Missions  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  the  U.  S.,  Mr.  John  I.  Armstrong,  P.  O. 
Box  158,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

General  Assembly’s  Home  Missions  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the 
U.  S.,  Rev.  S.  L.  Morris,  1522  Hurt  Building,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Protestant  Episcopal; — The  Domestic  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  in  the  U.  S.  A.,  Dr.  W.  C.  Sturgis, 
281  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York  City. 

Reformed  Church  in  America — Board  of  Foreign  Missions,  Mr.  F.  M. 
Potter;  Board  of  Domestic  Missions,  Mr.  W.  T.  Demarest;  Board 
of  Publication  and  Bible  School  Work,  Rev.  Abram  Duryce,  25  East 
Twenty-second  Street,  N.  Y.  C. 

Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States — Mission  Study  Department, 
representing  the  Boards  of  Home  and  Foreign  Missions,  Rev.  John 
H.  Poorman.  304  Reformed  Church  Building,  Fifteenth  and  Race 
Streets,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

United  Brethren  in  Christ — Foreign  Missionary  Society,  Bishop  A.  T. 
Howard,  404  Otterbein  Press  Building,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Home  Missionary  Society,  Miss  Lyda  B.  Wiggim,  Otterbein  Press  Build- 
ing, Dayton.  Ohio. 

Young  People’s  Work,  Rev.  O.  T.  Deever,  Otterbein  Press  Building, 
Dayton,  Ohio. 

United  Evangelical — Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the  United 
Evangelical  Church  and  Board  of  Church  Extension,  Rev.  B.  H. 
Niebel,  D.  D.,  Evangelical  Building,  Harrisburg.  Pa. 

United  Lutheran  Church  of  America — Board  of  Foreign  Missions.  Rev. 
Charles  L.  Brown,  D.  D.,  21  West  Saratoga  Street,  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land. 

Board  of  Home  Missions,  Rev.  H.  H.  Weber,  D.  D.,  York,  Pa. 


United  Presbyteeian — Mission  Study  Department  of  the  Board  of  Foreign 
Missions  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America,  Miss 
Anna  A.  Milligan,  200  North  Fifteenth  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Board  of  Home  Missions  of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church  of  North 
America,  Rev.  R.  A.  Hutchinson,  209  Ninth  Street,  Pittsburgh,  Pa. 

Universalist — Department  of  Missionary  Education  of  the  General  Sunday 
S^ool  Association,  Rev.  A.  Gertrude  Earle,  Methuen,  Mass.  (Send 
all  orders  for  literature  to  Universalist  Publishing  House,  359 
Boylston  Street,  Boston,  Mass.) 

CANADIAN  BOARDS 

Baptist — The  Canadian  Baptist  Foreign  Mission  Board,  223  Church  Street, 
Toronto,  Ontario. 

Church  of  England — The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Church  of  England 
in  Canada.  Rev.  Canon  S.  Gould,  131  Confederation  Life  Building, 
Toronto,  Ontario. 

Congregational — Canada  Congregational  Foreign  Missionary  Society,  Miss 
EfSe  Jamieson,  23  Woodlawn  Avenue,  East,  Toronto.  Ontario. 

Methodist — Young  People’s  Forward  Movement  Draartment  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Methodist  Church,  (Janada,  Rev.  F.  C. 
Stephenson,  Wesley  Building,  299  Queen  Street,  West,  Toronto, 
Ontario. 

Presbyterian — Presbyterian  Church  in  Canada,  Board  of  Foreign  Missions, 
Rev.  A.  E.  Armstrong,  439  Confederation  Life  Building,  Toronto, 
Ontario. 


Revised  to  1919 


Date  Due 

1 

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New  life  currents  in  China. 

Pnnceton  Theological  Sen>i"ani-Spcer  Lib^ 


1 1012  00023  4759 


